The Maximum End
by EmpressOfSarcasm
Summary: A war-torn world must unite. But with no leader to guide them, the destiny falls on shoulders of a young woman whose destiny was determined long ago: the One Light. Will the flock rise to the challenge in order to defeat their greatest threat of all time?
1. Chapter 1

_Full summary: After their escape from death in the streets of Paris, Maximum Ride and her flock find themselves close to the end of their long journey. And Fang and his gang of enhanced humans uncover a clue in the subway tunnels of New York City- one that could connect Fang's dark past with the Doomsday Group. And after nearly being killed by a tsunami, both groups realize something: the end is near. With the apocalypse approaching fast, Max disappears after a rescue of her half-sister. But why is she still haunting Fang's dreams? Soon everyone's secrets are revealed, and no one is just who they say they are. Everyone has an agenda, and no one can trust anybody- let alone each other. Soon it's a race against time to figure out who is behind the Doomsday Group and the dangerous, lingering question: Who is the One Light?_

**I'm back finally! I know, it's been **_**forever**_** since I've updated, but I got grounded and I was swamped with stuff to do for the end of the year. That's right: I'm on summer vacation! And you know what that means: More updates! Yay! I'm just happy to be a freshman now.**

**Sadly, I have summer homework for my AP Human Geography class. T.T I'm not looking forward to it. I haven't even seen what I have to do yet. Oops. I'm trying to get a jump start on this story because I'll be doing JROTC (junior military stuff). I might be on their Brain Brawl (academic) team, so I'll have even **_**more**_** work, 'cause when you join you have a seventh period. And for that class, you go on tons of field trips, so I'll be busier than ever before.**

_**Anyway!**_** Enough of my ranting. (BTW, I'll be starting a new story that's basically me and Crazy aboutbooks13 ranting about random crap. We came up with it during our first period PE class about a month ago.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride. The plot, however, I **_**so**_** own. It'll be epic. Just trust me.**

The Maximum End: A Maximum Ride Novel

Chapter 1

It felt as if I couldn't breathe. Like I was being held underwater by God himself. (Of course, I have gills, so that wouldn't work.) I knew I was alive. I had survived the explosion, after all. I was breathing. I could see, hear, and feel. I was just… numb.

It had been two days since the explosion in Paris. Two days since I'd nearly been choked to death by a psycho mutant who wanted to eradicate the entire human race, also known as Mark. Two days since nine-year-old Gazzy had mostly disabled the bomb that would've destroyed all of Paris, maybe even more. Two days since Fang, my ex, had once again left, this time with his group of enhanced humans, Ratchet, Star, Kate, Maya, and Holden.

Two days since Angel, my baby, had been killed.

That was probably why I was so depressed right now. But not nearly as much as Gazzy. Angel had been his sister. I mean, all of us are like family. We grew up together. But Gazzy and Angel were real, honest to God blood siblings. Gazzy hadn't spoken more than three words since the bomb had gone off.

Right now we were on the coast of Ireland, getting ready to fly back to the United States.

And when I say fly, I mean it quite literally. My flock and I were all genetically engineered to have wings and fly. We have other assorted powers other than that, but more on that later.

"Ella disappeared here," Dylan, one of my flock, said, pointing to a specific little chunk of a map of Arizona. Ella, just in case you didn't know, is my half-sister. She had gone missing several days ago after we'd rescued her from a group of psychopath mass-murderers known as the Doomsday Group (DG for short), of which Mark, as mentioned above, was a part of. He claimed to be a servant of something that they called the One Light. We were still unsure of what _that_ was though. "And we know that we weren't that far from the facility, so that's probably where she was headed."

I was leaned against the wall of the hotel room, listening as my flock discussed where we should look first for Ella, then my mom, and then Jeb. Jeb was the man who had broken us out of the hellhole science lab we had grown up in known as the School. Later on, he'd betrayed us and put us back into them for a short amount of time. He then proceeded to tell me that he was my biological father. Despite all that, I still didn't trust him. I could never trust him. But I still felt obligated to save him, even though he was lying jerk.

"What do you think, Max?" Nudge asked, her brown eyes wide. There were dark circles under her eyes from not sleeping well. She was only twelve, but she looked like she had aged about ten years in the last forty-eight hours. She needed rest. We all did.

I looked over my tired, dopey flock. Everyone had dark circles under their eyes and was pale. Well, except Dylan. Somehow he never manages to look bad. I was going to make sure that they all got some real sleep before heading out. "I think," I said, my voice raspy and weak, "that we should first find Ella. If anything, she has the better chance of surviving this apocalypse, whenever _that _is."

_If she's still alive,_ I added mournfully in my head. "And then we'll see if we can find my mom and Jeb," I continued. "Even if they've been working for DG and the One Light this whole time."

Everyone put on their bravest faces and nodded, despite the imminent fear that maybe they were dead. Iggy's unseeing eyes (he's blind) were full of unspoken fear. I knew that he and Ella had been crushing on each other when Ella had disappeared, and this was probably the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. I also knew that if Ella really was dead, I would never forgive myself for letting it happen to her and also to Iggy.

That night, I flew out to the farthest part of the coastline I could find, lay on my back in the cool, damp, knee-high grass, and just thought.

I thought about all that had happened to me and my flock in the last year. How Angel had been kidnapped. How I had learned it was my destiny to save the world. How Fang and I had fallen in love. How I finally had learned about my parents and half-siblings. (Ella was my only surviving one. There was another, Ari, who was Jeb's son. He died a while ago, though.) How everything I had ever known had been turned on its head and twisted around.

"Thought I might find you here," came a voice seemingly out of nowhere.

I sat bolt-upright, my fists clenching, and whirled around to face the speaker. But I stopped dead because it was Dylan. "Oh," I said, my voice quiet. "It's you."

A small frown crossed his unearthly good-looking face. "Yeah," he said, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets. "Didn't mean to disappoint you or anything."

I instantly felt just a little bit guilty. I mean, it wasn't _his_ fault that Fang had ditched me for the third time. (It _was_ his fault that he left the second time. If you're curious, see book six. The first time it was half my fault, but mostly because Ari had joined up with us after trying to kill us several times.) "Sorry," I muttered. "You just surprised me." _Like Fang used to…_

I couldn't really identify what emotion crossed his face next. It was like… hurt mixed with longing mixed with confusion and love. Sort of like the feelings I used to get when Fang kissed me those first times.

"What's wrong?" Dylan asked, sitting next to me in the cold, dewy grass. I realized that I'd been absently touching my lips, like I could still feel the sensation of Fang's mouth pressed against mine.

I blinked several times rapidly. My hand automatically returned to its former position, behind me so it could hold my torso up as I leaned back slightly. "It's nothing. I was just thinking."

Dylan stared out at the ocean with cold blue eyes as he said, "About Fang." It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

I thought a couple of nasty swearwords. I hated how he did that.

"You know," Dylan continued. "It's okay if you still love him. I get that. I mean, if _I _loved somebody a whole lot, and they were around for my whole life and had my back twenty-four/seven, I would still love them even if they left me."

I glanced up at him. He was staring at me earnestly. I turned away, trying to control the fierce blush that burned my cheeks. I thought for a moment before saying, "It's not just that."

"Then what is it then?" Dylan asked, his voice full of suppressed frustration. "Tell me, Max, because I seem to have no idea!"

I felt tears prick at the back of my eyes. I shut them down hard. I wouldn't cry. "Because he…" I muttered, then trailed off.

"Because he _what_?" Dylan practically snarled. He _hated_ talking about Fang. He hated everything about him. I knew that Fang's feelings for Dylan were mutual. "Because he loves you? Because he's your best friend?"

Something inside me snapped. Like, all the anger I had seemed to come out of hiding just then. Everything in the past year that had ever got to me seemed to come roaring back in vivid color. I stood up and faced Dylan, my eyes glistening with tears and fury. "Because he freaking promised never to leave me!" I nearly screamed. Dylan blinked in surprise. "He left before, and when we got back together he promised he would never leave me again! And he didn't! Until you showed up that is, claiming to be my 'perfect other half' and being made for me! Now we're like strangers and…" My voice broke just then. I hung my head, my hair falling like a curtain around my face, concealing my blush. That, my friends, was the most I'd ever admitted to a fellow bird kid other than Fang.

Silence.

Then Dylan stood and put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Max," he whispered. "I didn't know."

"Yeah," I muttered, laughing bitterly. "You didn't know." Then, with almost no warning, Dylan hugged me. It felt good to have someone's arms around me right then. God knows I needed it.

I don't know how long we stood like that, but finally I couldn't escape the chill my body felt and started shivering. Dylan pulled away, took off his leather duster, and wrapped it around my shoulders. "Come on," he said, unfolding his wings. "We should head back. You need to rest."

I nodded and followed him into the clear night sky, glad that at least someone was here to take care of me.

**So… yeah. Trust me, after this chapter, it get very, **_**very **_**interesting. Especially when I switch to Fang's POV every once in a while. He's got the most interesting story to tell in this fic. **

**Fang: Can't I just tell them what happens?**

**Me: No. That would spoil everything I have in this story. It thickens the drama between you and Max! (As if it wasn't thick enough already.)**

**Fang: Darn.**

**Percy: *laughs***

**So remember to review! They bring me great happiness. Flames are not accepted, but constructive criticism is.**

**Peace, Love, Happiness, and Maximum Ride.**

**-A$h**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome back to another chapter of "The Maximum End!" This is where the action, mystery, and deception (more on that in the next chapter, actually) really begins!**

**I want to thank all of you who reviewed and/or favorited this story. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. LOL.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Claimer: I own the plot. ;D**

Chapter 2

When I woke up the next morning, I felt more tired than I had when I'd fallen asleep. But I knew that I had to get up and get the day started, because soon we'd be heading back to the U.S.

But there was a little voice (Not _the _Voice. If you're curious, keep reading. You'll catch on soon.) whispering in the back of my head to stay. That I needed to go east instead of west. A nagging sense that what I sought was elsewhere. I shut it down. I needed to go west.

I sat up and stretched my arms above my head, my spine popping, feeling relieved to let the tensions from sleeping pass. I smiled lightly as I stretched out my wings a little bit, feeling the feathers rustle into alignment.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, feeling the cool morning air send chills up my spine. I stood—

And suddenly I was stopped cold.

It felt like I was being hit with a wall of cold water, or someone had dumped a bucket of ice down the back of my shirt. (And yes, it has happened before. Fang did it on a dare from Iggy. I had then proceeded to tackle him to the floor and beat him up slightly.) My eyes widened, and my vision darkened.

Suddenly, I was in a dark room. I could hear the hisses and beeps of machinery. There was the sound of a heart monitor giving off the fast, steady rhythm of 120 beats per minute. (Don't ask me how I knew that, 'cause I have no clue.) I could smell the bone-chillingly nauseating scent of antiseptic, bleach, chemicals, and floor cleaner. A lab. I was in a lab. Goosebumps appeared all over my arms, but not from cold. It was from the fear of places like this. That's just _one_ of the quirks of being a recombinant DNA experiment.

Suddenly my body began to move forward, but my legs weren't moving. It was like I was hovering. I stopped at one of the cots.

My breath caught in my throat.

It was Angel, my baby. She was hooked up to a bunch of machines. I saw a heart monitor, several IV lines, saline drips, and a mask covering her nose and mouth that was hooked up to an oxygen tank. Her skin was deathly pale. Her eyes were closed and her eyelids a horrible shade of blue. She had dark circles under her eyes. I saw that she had stitches on her arms and face. Her curly blonde hair was dull and limp.

But… Angel was dead. Was this a dream or some crazy hallucination or an image the Voice was giving me? Or was it a vision, like the ones I got when I used to get major grenade-type headaches forever ago when it felt like my brain was splattering inside my skull into a million pieces? I couldn't tell.

I reached out hesitantly and touched Angel's cheek. It felt unusually cold beneath my fingertips. "Angel?" I whispered. "Angel..."

Angel's gorgeous blue eyes opened. She blinked. Gingerly, she turned her head and faced me. Her eyes widened. "Max…" she whispered, though it was muffled by the mask. A look of utter disbelief crossed her face.

But that was when I was suddenly thrown back. I blinked several times. I was lying on my back on a cold hardwood floor. The flock was staring down at me with concern.

"Max!" Nudge cried as I sat up slowly so I wouldn't puke. She threw her skinny arms around me and hugged me tightly.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice weak. I felt the beginnings of vomit quelling up in the back of my throat and swallowed several times.

Dylan's clear turquoise eyes were filled with worry and concern, but I could also see some relief. "Nudge woke up and found you passed out on the floor. You kept muttering, 'She's alive' over and over again. You wouldn't wake up."

I held my head, feeling woozy. This was freaky. "How long was I out?" I muttered, trying to hold down any food that remained in my stomach.

"Four hours," Iggy said, his voice shaky. "Towards the end you started screaming. You nearly took out Dylan's right eye, so we had to hold you down. You opened your eyes and started screaming bloody murder. We think you were saying something, but we couldn't tell what."

Okay, he got me there. That was some freaky chiz, man. I voiced this.

Nudge's eyes got wider. "You don't remember what you were seeing, do you?" She sounded a little hopeful.

I quickly told them what I saw, and how Angel had been in a lab. Gazzy's blue eyes, so like Angel's it hurt, got wide. "Angel's… alive?" His voice was small, but there was glimmer of hope in it.

I smiled and ruffled his flyaway blond hair. "I don't know, Gaz," I said. "I just don't know."

I got to my feet and tried to walk, but wobbled and lost my balance. Thankfully Dylan caught me before I could fall on my butt. "Whatever this was," he said, slinging my right arm around his broad shoulders, "I don't think you should be on your feet just yet."

I glared at him and said, my voice sharper than steel, "I'm fine. Now let me go."

Dylan grinned and did just what he was told. But I then proceeded to fall my butt for real this time. He chuckled and I glared at him through the strands of hair that had fallen into my face.

Ten minutes later I discovered I could stand and walk without falling flat on my face. An hour later I felt it was safe to try to fly. When I did, I found out that I was a little less graceful than I usually was, but for the most part was perfectly fine. As long as I didn't fall out of the sky, I was golden to start flying back to the States.

And so, an hour after that, we headed out over the water, flying fast. Total, our talking and flying dog, flew with us. He kept on whining about how much he missed France and how we were the reason he couldn't have nice things. (After all, Paris did sort of get blown up. But not as much as it could've.) I rolled my eyes. If we weren't here, Total would still be in the Institute back in New York City and wouldn't have wings. But I knew he still loved hanging out with us.

As we flew over the grey, churning water, I looked straight ahead and whispered to the horizon, "I'm coming for you, Ella. And you, Mom. You can count on it."

**Cue ominous music! The next chapter will be from Fang's PoV, as Jimmy P would write it (third person). I love doing his PoV, 'cause there's lots of interesting stuff no one but me knows about Fang. 0;) But more on that much later in the story.**

**So remember to review! As usual, constructive criticism is accepted but flames aren't.**

**Peace, Love, Happiness, and Maximum Ride.**

**-A$h**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to all of you who reviewed! And special thanks to everyone on Max-Dan-Wiz who reviewed there (IDK if you're on FF or not)! This chapter's really just sort of a filler chapter to get you filled in on what's going on with Fang and his crew. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Claimer: I own the plot.**

Chapter 3

Fang was dreaming of Max. He was back in the School. Max was suspended by chains in the Arena, being whipped, cut, burned, sliced, electrocuted, stabbed, and beaten by a whitecoat. Her clothes were in tatters and she was covered in blood. Every time the whitecoat did something to her, she would scream in agony. That was why Fang knew it was a dream. Max never showed if she was in pain.

Fang was just standing there. He couldn't move. He couldn't even blink. He was being forced to watch her being beaten to within an inch of her life.

He tried several times to get the whitecoat to stop. "What did she do?" Fang would shout. "What did I do wrong? I'll do anything you say!" But the whitecoat never seemed to hear him, and would only hit her harder. Whip her more. Increase the voltage. Cut her deeper.

Max weakly lifted her head and stared at him with her brown eyes, so full of sadness. Lines of blood ran down her face, but she didn't seem to notice this. "Help me," she whispered.

Then Fang woke up. He blinked repeatedly and glanced around. He was in a plane. Someone next to him was shaking his shoulder gently. He turned and looked. It was Maya. "Good," she said, letting go of his shoulder. "You're awake. You kept mumbling in your sleep. I didn't want to be conspicuous, so I woke you up. Some of the other passengers were giving you funny looks already." She smiled the same sardonic grin that Max had. After all, Maya was Max's clone. Either that or she was her twin sister. It was really hard to tell.

Just then, the pilot's voice came over the intercom. "Attention ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We will be touching down in Washington, D.C. in five minutes. Please fasten your seatbelts."

Fang sat up. Throughout the whole flight, he hadn't released his death grip on the armrests. Even in his sleep, Fang noticed, because his fingers were sore from gripping them so hard. He _hated_ flying in planes. Sure, if it started going down he could just fly out of it, but just being in one made him feel… vulnerable. After all, what was the likelihood of a several hundred ton commercial jet liner staying aloft in a foreign missile attack?

Right.

As the plane began its final descent, Fang glanced around at his gang of five others, including Maya. Ratchet caught his eye and gave him a thumbs-up because he was seated next to Kate, who was leaned sleepily against his shoulder. Holden was next to Star, who was steadily working her way through a bag of Cheetohs she had managed to sneak on board. Though she was supermodel-skinny, that girl could down more food than your average speed eater.

When the plane bumpily landed on the runway and docked (Was that the correct term? Fang wasn't sure.) at the terminal, Fang and the others shot up. Fang and the gang didn't have anything other than their backpacks, so they didn't have to worry about picking up luggage at the carrousel in the front.

The moment they were outside the busy airport, they made their way to the parking garage. After all, Fang and Maya were the only ones who could fly (Wings. Duh.) so the others would have to take a car.

Picking out a car, however, led to some varying degrees of violence. Ratchet wanted the black Camero, but Kate wouldn't ride in anything that had leather seats. Holden wanted the silver Mercedes, but it was too conspicuous. Star and Kate wanted the red BMW convertible, but there weren't enough seats.

After ten minutes of the four arguing and Fang trying (rather unsuccessfully) to stop the shouting, Maya whistled shrilly. They all turned to look at her. She was leaned casually against a white Mustang. "What about this one?" she asked, a little exasperated.

"Sweeet!" Ratchet said, rubbing his hands together. "I like your style, 2012." Ever since he'd learned Maya's name, Ratchet had insisted on teasing her by calling her "Armageddon", "Apocalypse", and "Doomsday." Maya blushed, and Fang tried not to notice how much she reminded him of Max, despite their differences. The most obvious of which was the large red streak in Maya's dirty-blond hair whereas Max only had natural highlights from the sun.

"Good choice, Maya!" Kate said, studying the car carefully. "A hybrid model… Faux leather seats… Thirty-eight miles to the gallon." She grinned. "It's perfect!"

"_And_ it has enough seats," Holden added somewhat thankfully. "That means Star won't have to threaten to gouge out my eyes because my elbows digging into her ribs!" He whooped and punched the air, doing a little dance of glee.

Star rolled her eyes. "Don't get your hopes up just yet, Starfish," she said, using Holden's nickname. "You never know if I really will during this car ride."

By that time, Ratchet had already broken into the car using one of Star's bobby pins and begun to hotwire it. Before another minute had passed, the engine was already revving up.

"I call shotgun!" Kate said, holding up her hand.

Fang silently hoped none of them would kill each other on the ride to New York.

**This chapter should have been up yesterday, but I got addicted to my Leaf Green Pokemon game, so I got a little sidetracked. :/ But at least I got bored with it and decided to update today. :) Check out my Max-dan-wiz page, which is operated by a good friend of mine. (Thanks Melanie!) I'll have updates of this story there too and other stories that I feel like putting on there. (Maybe some new oneshots…)**

**Also, I'll have a new oneshot up probably around next week (more or less). It's a prequel to this story, sort of. ;)**

**Remember to review!**

**Peace, Love, Happiness, and Maximum Ride.**

**-A$h**


	4. Chapter 4

**Welcome back to another chapter of "The Maximum End!" Thanks to all of you who reviewed the last chapter!**

**I'm having a bad day. :( There might be a wasp in my house, so I've armed myself with Windex because that kills bugs like nobody's business. But I had a good day a few days ago, because my friend (she will not be named 'cause I don't want any freakazoids out there who are on FF randomly to go and stalk her) sent me the yearbook picture of my sixth grade crush. I haven't seen him in a little over two years. (Mind you, he was cuter then than he is now.) So now he's the wallpaper on my phone. ;D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or any of its characters.**

**Claimer: I own the plot.**

Chapter 4

Three or four hours later, the lights of New York City were visible as Fang and Maya flew over them. They had followed Ratchet and the others as they had driven along the highway. It wasn't too hard to keep up with them in the middle of the night, since Fang and Maya both had super raptor vision.

"So what's the plan, boss?" Maya asked, having to shout over the wind to be heard.

Fang thought before saying, "We're going to scout around and see if we can find any DGers. I also want to check out a place where they made mutants. It was called the Institute for Higher Living."

Maya frowned. "I know that place," she said, a little more quietly. "It was a branch of Itex, right?"

Fang nodded, his face showing no emotion at the name of one of the first group he'd had to defeat with Max. "Yeah. That's also where… we found Total." He didn't want to say the name of the person who'd really gotten Total out of there. It would open up a door to a room full of too much pain and too many memories—some good and some bad.

_It's all my fault,_ Fang thought. _She was right in front of me. I know she was. There was no way that she could've _not_ gotten out of there_.

Fang and Maya touched down in Central Park and waited for the others to meet them. When they did, they started to walk to the subway, where Fang knew they'd be able to find a safe place for the night.

"Where're we going?" Kate asked. "I thought we would stay in Central Park. Or a hotel."

"Too conspicuous," Fang said, shaking his head. "Especially in this part of town. Our best chance is to head underground."

"Like, sleeping in a _subway tunnel_?" Star asked, sounding a little miffed.

Fang shrugged and said, "It's really not that bad. It's also near the Institute, where we need to scout."

About twenty minutes later, Fang and the others were settled onto a ledge in the same place where Fang, Max, and the flock had met the computer hacker named Mike so long ago. Fang was silently hoping that weird stuff wouldn't start happening again, like it had before.

"I'll take the whole watch," Fang said, glad for the familiar routine of watches. "You guys need to rest."

The others nodded and lay down on the hard concrete. Compared to a plane, this was uncomfortable. But compared to running around a blast site lifting up pieces of concrete that weighed at least a few thousand pounds, this was, like, the _Ritz_ of subway tunnels.

As Fang watched the scene around him, he couldn't help but let his mind wander just a little bit. Back to a time when things were more complicated than they needed to be and he hardly knew which way was up and which way was down.

_Don't think about it,_ he chided himself. _Don't remind yourself about that._

But it was hard not to. The effects from what he chose were all around him. From… Angel being kidnapped to his "death" a few weeks earlier (see book six if you're curious). Everything that could have possibly happened in the last year was his fault.

And more.

He remembered the day that he heard the whitecoats talking about sending Max into the Arena or the School Yard. How they wanted her to either fight an Eraser or just let several Erasers chase her down and rip her to pieces. He remembered how he'd spoken out of turn then, and how it had resulted in his final "punishment."

A punishment that would lead to what he was doing right then and there. Everything he was doing was a result of that.

Sometimes, Fang would go back in time (in his mind, of course) and change the way he acted. He never spoke against what the whitecoats said. But then Max would die. Selene would live. Jeb would never get them out of the cages.

Fang sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. Regrets were a hard thing to live with.

**Cue scary music. I'll have a oneshot all about this Selene character up later today if things go well. Is anybody else totally amped about the "Son of Neptune" cover art? I fell in love with it the moment I laid eyes on it.**

**So please review! No flames, but constructive criticism is welcomed.**

**Peace, Love, Happiness, and Maximum Ride.**

**-A$h**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everybody! Welcome back to another chapter of "The Maximum End!" I want to thank all of you who reviewed and voted for what pairing you want to see, but we're not done with that just yet. (I'll keep the poll up for a while longer, since we don't yet meet the fourth character for the next poll.) I especially want to dedicate this chapter to turtlelover0511, who is an awesome friend and an amazing author herself.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or any of its characters.**

**Claimer: I own the plot.**

Chapter 5

When we arrived in New York City the next day, we were totally wiped out. I mean, flying twenty-four hours straight over a fucking big bunch of water without stopping was no picnic, let me tell you.

We decided to stay the night at a small hotel just outside of NYC. We didn't want to risk being seen in trees in Central Park again (long story) and nor did we want to stay in subway tunnels again (yet another long story). And plus, Iggy hated the city, since it was harder to focus on where noise was coming from.

When I woke up the next morning, I was half-afraid of getting another seizure/brain attack thingy. So I made extra sure to stand up slowly. Thankfully, though, this time I didn't seize up and see, like, Ari, my dead half-brother, or some enemy from my past like the Uber Director or Mr. Chu.

As Iggy got breakfast going, I noticed that he had crinkles between his eyebrows. It was the look he always got when he thought hard for a long time.

"What's wrong, Iggy?" I asked, setting the table, making my voice sound casual.

He glanced at me with his cloudy, unseeing eyes. "Nothing," he replied just as nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders.

"I know something's wrong, Ig," I said, making my voice a little softer. "Tell me."

His shoulders slumped and he looked almost… sad. Like whatever this was, it was taking up all of his time and thoughts. "It's Ella." He said it with a slight tinge of pain to his tone.

My eyebrows knitted together and I sat down. "What about Ella?"

"It's just…" Iggy started, waving his hand over the skillet to make sure it was hot enough to start making pancakes. "I keep wondering if she's okay. If the DG managed to graft wings on her. If she's even…" His voice broke as he poured some batter into the skillet. He didn't have to finish his sentence for me to get what he was thinking. Or trying _not_ to think.

"I know how you feel Iggy," I said softly. "But we're going to get her back. I promise you personally that I'll get her back alive." _Even if it kills _me_, _I thought.

Iggy frowned, his eyebrows knitting together. "I know what you're thinking, Max," he said. "You know we can't save the world without you."

I snorted. "Tell that to Fang."

And suddenly there was silence between us. I knew it was because I'd brought up the subject of Fang. It hurt all of us when he'd left, especially when we'd found out that he'd started to replace all of us. He even replaced me with my own _clone_.

"That's not what he thinks," Iggy said, staring at me with his blind eyes. "And you know it."

"Really?" I asked, my voice scathing. "Then tell me, because I seem to have no clue."

"He's been through a lot in the last five years," Iggy said. "He's had to do a lot of things that he wished he could've avoided by choosing something differently. It involved a lot about you. Most of it was to stop you from getting killed or hurt. That way you could keep up your mission. Do you remember when you tried to cut the chip out yourself?"

My right hand automatically shot to my left forearm. I gently fingered the scar that remained from when I had tried to cut out a microchip using nothing but a seashell. I had nearly bled out, but Fang had stopped me before I could do any more damage. The memory came to the forefront of my mind in vivid color. "I remember," I whispered.

"Well Fang really blames himself for letting that happen," he continued. "He blames himself for a lot. He never told me the full story, and the details are real sketchy. But the basic gist is that the whitecoats were going to kill a mutant. Fang didn't want that to happen. You know how he gets when he's angry." I nodded, not willing myself to imagine Fang, pale with anger, rattling the bars of his cage and shouting at the whitecoats. "He spoke out of turn. The whitecoats got really pissed off at him, and gave him two choices. He never told me what they were, but he made it sound really bad. It's the reason why he's always been so protective of you, whether you know it or not."

My eyebrows knitted together. My mind was racing. "Why didn't he ever tell me any of this?"

Iggy shrugged, putting one pancake on a plate and batter into the skillet. "This is Fang we're talking about. If anyone could keep a secret for five years and not have their best friend suspect them, it would be him. If you really want to find out, why don't you ask him yourself?"

Without a moment's hesitation, I shot out of my chair and grabbed my cell phone from my backpack. I skimmed quickly through my contacts and called Fang's number.

It rang for a minute before it went straight to his voicemail. "Yo," Fang's voice said. "If you have this number, and you're not my enemy, leave a message. If you're some random person trying to prank call me, one of those fangirls from the blog, or a person trying to sell me something, hang up. If you're trying to find me by tracing the call or trying to kill me, hang up again." A little beep went off, telling me to leave my message.

"Hey, Fang," I said, a little disappointed. "It's Max. Well… I guess you'd already know that because I'm calling you. I know. Genius, right? Um…" I sighed. "Look, I know I sound like an idiot, but I need you to call me back as soon as you get this. There's something I need to talk to you about. It's not about Doomsday Group, but it's really important." I thought for a moment. "Fang, I know that I've been a real bitch to you in the last few days but… I was just so upset about everything—you, Mom, Ella, Jeb—that it all just started getting to me. And I know you're beating yourself up about Angel, 'cause I am too. But it's not your fault. It's mine. And I really, _really_ need to talk to you. Uh, so call me back. 'Kay, bye." I hung up, feeling something like lead drop into the pit of my stomach.

Suddenly, arms wrapped around my waist and held me to a lean, strong body. Dylan.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming desire to just get the hell _away_ from Dylan. I didn't want to be anywhere near him. I gently unhooked his arms and took a couple steps back. "It's nothing," I said, feeling the weight of the world settle on my shoulders. "Just some stuff."

Dylan's expressive blue eyes flashed something that looked a lot like pain, and I felt a little bit guilty.

But not guilty enough to want to talk to him any longer.

**Don't hate me for this chapter. It's sort of necessary to the story that she and Dylan are a little estranged. (You'll see why later.) Also, I want to clarify something for the poll. I'm not going to tell you guys which pairing won. You'll find that out at the very last chapter of this entire story. (I'm so evil.) That chapter was inspired two months ago by a certain event that was very historical. (And I'm sure all of you who own a TV will know what I'm talking about.)**

**Also, watch out for some new oneshots in the story "Flock Oneshots!" I have plenty of ideas thanks to ANGEL, this story, and the depths of darkness that would be my brain. ;) What you can look for in the coming future: Max and Fang have a spitting contest, an OC character death, why Max is afraid of snakes, a really mean prank, and a songfic oneshot.**

**So remember to review, please! Thanks to all of you who favorited/alerted this story!**

**Peace, Love, Happiness, and Maximum Ride.**

**-A$h**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I'm not James Patterson, therefore I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters. Take that lawyers!**

**Claimer: I own the plot and the mysterious man in this chapter.**

Chapter 6

Angel couldn't believe her good luck. Because for the first time in four days she was allowed off of the oxygen. She could finally breathe without support.

Of course, she felt lucky just to be alive, considering the enormity of the blast she had survived. She still remembered Fang holding her hand, leading her out of the sewer tunnels, and shouting for Gazzy, who was just feet in front of them, to keep moving and that they didn't have much time. She could still hear the fear in his mind that he wouldn't get her and Gazzy out alive. She remembered a roaring sound as the bomb went off, sending her flying along with shrapnel, concrete, and sewer water. The next thing she knew she was here at this hospital. Or was it a lab or some military base in Europe? What continent was she on, anyways?

But, despite that, Angel didn't even know if Fang, Gazzy, and the others were even _alive_. All she knew was that she had survived. She knew that there was no way that Fang could've survived without the help she'd been given. He was running right next to her, if not a few feet back, and would've taken roughly the same amount of damage, if not more.

Unless…

Unless, somehow, someway, the same people who'd gotten Angel out had gotten him. Then maybe he'd stand a chance. After all, Fang was one of the strongest, bravest people Angel had ever known besides Max.

Max.

Angel's heart hurt just thinking about her. She still remembered, just two days ago, when Max had appeared, all transparent and silvery. A ghost. She'd stroked Angel's hair and said her name, but then had been thrown back by some invisible force. Angel knew that the man keeping her here could do that. He could do just about anything. _How_ he did it though was an utter mystery to her.

"Ah, you're awake," said a smooth, cruel voice. Like she had before, Angel couldn't tell if the speaker was a machine like the Uber Director or a man like Dr. Hans. It sounded like thunder rumbling off in the distance, deep and dangerous. Always threatening, always there.

Chills ran up Angel's spine like knives. Using all her might, she tried to get inside the man's brain. But it was grey. Blank. Like Jeb's and the other whitecoats' had been. Like every single previous enemy that the flock had ever faced.

_We can help you, Angel,_ the Voice whispered in the back of her mind. _We can make you even more powerful. More powerful than you could ever imagine on your own._

_ No,_ Angel though hard, clenching her eyes shut. _I won't do it. I won't join you._

Pain suddenly ebbed at the back of Angel's head. It felt like someone was slamming a brick into it or shoving an ice pick into the base of her skull. She bit her bottom lip and tried hard not to whimper in pain. She couldn't move her arms to hold her head to keep it from splitting open at that one point—they were strapped to the cot.

"Join us Angel," the man said, and the pain went away. Angel opened her eyes. She still couldn't see him, like the first time she'd woken up four days ago. "And together, we can bring the world to the One Light! And then the One Light can save the world!"

Silence. Angel tried to speak, but the words got caught in her throat. She wished with all her being that Max was there to hold her hand. To stroke her hair and tell her that she'd be okay. To tell the man to get the hell away from her and to go die in a hole.

"How about this," the man whispered. "If you join us, we won't kill the One Light. After all, she was a good friend of your's, was she not? And only she can make the pain go away. Only she can heal you."

But Angel didn't get to reply, because she passed out.

**Sort of a filler chapter so you know what's going on with Angel. We won't learn the man's name until much later in the story. ;) But he plays a very, very important role. I had a lot of fun coming up with his character. Just so you know, this is the same speaker who spoke to Angel at the end of ANGEL. I basically went to town coming up with what his character looks, sounds, and acts like.**

**If you're new to this story, go and vote on the poll on my profile! We need to know which pairings you want to see at the end of this story!**

**Please review!**

**Peace, Love, Happiness, and Maximum Ride.**

**-A$h**


	7. Chapter 7

**Welcome back to another chapter! Thanks to all of you who reviewed the last chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or any of its characters.**

**Claimer: I own the plot.**

Chapter 7

Fang was cursing silently in his head as Star once again squealed as a rat crossed her path.

"They just _had_ to put this science lab in the sewers, didn't they?" she asked, her voice bordering hysterical and the next octave up. "I mean, couldn't they just put it in, like, a regular building and call it quits?"

Fang sighed and shook his head. "It was for security reasons," he replied. "They didn't want a building landlord to come and kick them out for illegal experimentation on human subjects."

Ratchet rolled his eyes. "Suuuurre," he said sarcastically. "Okay. Let's go with that. And how would you happen to know all this, Boss?"

Fang almost stopped cold, but caught himself. Maya shot him a questioning glance. There were a few moments of silence before Fang answered, "It's a long story."

"We've got time," said Kate, who was holding on to Ratchet's jacket for dear life. She didn't seem bothered by the rats. Just the gunk that coated the walls.

Fang thought for a moment. "Five years ago, the whitecoats, the scientists that worked for the School, the place where we grew up, were going to put a mutant in the School Yard or the Arena.

"The School Yard was were they had Erasers, half-men, half-wolves, chase down their prey and tear it limb from limb to train them. The Arena was where they'd pit mutants against each other to find out which recombinants were the strongest.

"I got angry and spoke out of turn. They got mad at me and told me I had two choices. I chose the second one. The second one allowed me to do things that normal mutants couldn't do. I stumbled across some info on the Institute and found out that they kept it underground for the reasons I just told you."

"I'm guessing that they had to find a different mutant to put in the School Yard or Arena," Holden said thoughtfully, keeping his eyes locked on where he was stepping.

Fang felt guilt quell up in his mind, taking over his body. _It's my fault she's dead. It's my fault that this is happening._ "Yes," he answered slowly. "The mutant they chose was a Gen. 53. A human/cat hybrid. She was an old friend of ours. 'Ours' meaning the flock."

They nodded, but didn't press him any further. They were silent for a while.

About twenty minutes later—it was really hard to tell—they reached the almost-invisible door that led to the Institute. Fang tried to open the door, but it was still locked, like it had been the first time.

"I got this," Ratchet said, brushing by Fang. He picked at the lock for five minutes—an eternity compared to the three minute record set by Iggy—before he managed to get it open.

Fang let everyone go in first before he did. Just before he crossed the threshold, he glanced back. He could see Max there, fighting with a fully-morphed Ari. He could see Ari slipping, trying to keep up with Max's fast, unpredictable movements. He saw her take him down. Ari's neck hit the floor with a sharp, nauseating _**Crack!**_

Fang blinked, and the image was gone. He made a mental note to never come back to New York if it meant getting weird visions from the past.

As they made their way down the dark, dank stairway, Kate asked, "Don't these people have safety regulations? There's no railing!"

The others chuckled. There was no sense arguing with her there.

When they started to reach the bottom of the stairs, Fang said to Ratchet, "There's a door five feet in front of you. It's unlocked."

Ratchet snorted and said sarcastically, "No shit Sherlock. I have _eyes_ you know. I can _see_."

Fang rolled his own eyes. At least he was never far from sarcasm. First Selene, then Max, and now Ratchet. What was it about his personality that drew sarcastic people to him like a magnet?

Kate opened the door tentatively, like she didn't know what would be behind the door: the Boogey Man or Chuck Norris?

When they were inside, the others almost seemed to sigh as their feet sank into plush carpet. But Fang knew better. It seemed enticing, but once you were inside, you were subject to the horrors of science.

"Be on guard," Fang whispered, his muscles tense. He could sense something—_several_ somethings—in the building. And not just humans.

His gang nodded and spread out. Maya went to the computers and started to hack one of them. It was her job to get any info out of this place that might relate to Doomsday Group.

Fang went to one wall, where there was a door that could be opened by pressing a small button. He knew that this door led to the holding room for experiments. It had been where they'd found Total.

The door slid open with a quiet _hiss!_ Fang felt chills tingle up his arms through his jacket. His senses widened to take in the entire scene. He could hear Kate and Star almost silently rustling papers as they looked through file cabinets. He could feel the vibrations in the floor as Ratchet walked around, clicking random computer mice to see if any would turn on. He could smell Maya's scent, so much like Max's…

Fang blinked and shook his head. He needed to focus.

He walked into the room. Cages were still stacked three high in neat rows, which were twelve cages long. As he wandered through, he couldn't help but cough quietly in protest as the sickly sweet smell of decay assaulted his nose.

Following the smell, he soon found himself in front of a cage with two dead bodies of children.

They couldn't have been more than nine or ten years old. Their skin was deathly pale, their lips an unsightly shade of pale blue. Their eyes were open, expressing some form of fear that must have stayed with them when they died. They were dressed in white pants and shirts, something Fang was all-too familiar with from his days living at the School.

The part that scared him the most was that they had _wings_. The girl had silvery-grey wings with white freckles. The boy had dark tawny wings with black streaks in the secondary feathers.

Fang opened the cage and pulled the two kids out. He checked the backs of their necks for expirations dates. They had none. He felt them for potential injuries, but they had none. They looked perfectly healthy, and they couldn't possibly have caught any diseases; they were in a science lab after all, and the scientists wouldn't let their experiments even catch the common cold. Cancer was out of the question—they had no signs of tumors or cancer treatments.

So what had killed them?

Just then he turned over the arm of the girl and saw something truly horrifying:

Branded onto the inside of the girl's left wrist, about two centimeters short of where her wrist met her hand, were the Greek letters ΔΓ. They were also branded onto the same spot on the boy's arm. Who had done this? And why?

Just then, Maya walked in. "Fang?" she said softly. "We've got some files. You ready to leave?" Fang didn't answer, because he was still musing over what could have possibly killed these kids.

"Fang?" Maya asked. He heard her footsteps approach. When she was close enough to see the two bird kids, she gasped. "Oh, my God!"

Fang looked at her. There were the beginnings of tears in her eyes. One hand covered her mouth, obviously trying to hide her shock. "I don't think they were gassed," he told her. "They would be elsewhere."

She nodded, but still seemed greatly disturbed by the bodies. "Look," she whispered. "We have to go. I found some files that I _think_ might be in relation to the DG. And if we don't leave now, someone's bound to find us."

Fang nodded, stood, and followed Maya out of the room.

But one thing still nagged at the back of his mind as they made their way through the sewers back into the light and fresh air: What had killed those kids? And why?

But more importantly: What was with those brandings and what did they mean?

***smirks* Anybody who can tell me the clue that Fang's gang found gets free cookies with Fang's face on them.**

**Fang: Hey!**

**Me: *laughs* Is everybody totally amped for the final Harry Potter movie? I know I am! And I'm SOOOO jealous of turtlelover0511 because she got tickets for the MIDNIGHT SHOWING! (Lucky.) Also, check out our (meaning a friend of mine and myself) page on Facebook! I don't remember what it's called (oops) but it has something to do with Harry Potter books being better than the movies. The picture is of the snitch and the Harry Potter insignia (HP). Check it out!**

**And remember to review! Please!**

**-A$h**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or any of its characters. (That includes the new character introduced in this chapter.)**

**Claimer: I own the plot and that character's last name. LOL.**

Chapter 8

Three days later, we were in Arizona, searching for the facility where we believed Ella had run off to. It didn't take much effort, since we already knew where it was.

"Hey, Max," Nudge asked as we flew. "How are we going to get Ella back if the Spider-Eyed kids come and try to kill us like they did for you and Dylan?"

My mind started racing. To be honest, I hadn't really thought about that. I hadn't gotten much farther than, "Get in, save Ella, and get out in some spectacular fashion."

"Um…" I said, rubbing my temples.

"Max and I found a weakness of theirs," Dylan explained quickly. "You have to fly straight over them, and then they can't see you. You basically have to swoop in and attack them from above."

I shot Dylan a grateful glance out of the corner of my eye, and he smiled. I turned away then, unable to face his perfect smile. Ever since the day I had called Fang, I hadn't been able to face him. Whether or not it was guilt, I couldn't tell.

As we flew closer, I noticed a very familiar smell assaulting my nose.

Smoke mixed with ash and the slight stink of sulfur. The leftover smell of a bomb that had gone off.

"Oh, God," Dylan said softly, and that was when we all saw it: the facility was gone, and there was nothing left but ashes and a few charred bits of metal and bricks. There was no one in sight.

We didn't have to navigate the diamond wires again. They had mysteriously disappeared. So flying in posed little problem.

I landed on the hard-packed ground roughly. I felt oddly numb. I could feel, I could see, but I felt oddly removed. Like I was in a dream or something. I felt the hot pricks of tears in my eyes. Had anyone survived? Had _Ella _survived?

As we searched through the rubble, I found a paper buried beneath some ash and bricks. It was a drawing depicting a young girl, around twelve or thirteen years old, with dark brown hair, and golden eyes with pupils that were narrow slits, like a cat's. She was looking out of a cage at a window, where moonlight shone in, illuminating her face.

A single tear slipped down my cheek. I folded the paper and put in my pocket. It looked just like Selene. The memory of her hurt. I could still hear her dying screams as Erasers ripped her to bits…

"Oh, my God!" Nudge cried. "Max! Come here! You _have_ to see this!"

I looked up, my mind switching off all memories of Selene, and ran towards Nudge. The others were already gathered around her. She and Gazzy were supporting a guy dressed in faded green army fatigues, glasses, and combat boots.

It was the computer hacker from New York, who I hadn't seen in several days, when Dylan, Angel, and I had found him running through the desert.

My eyes widened, and I took him from Gazzy and Nudge. He didn't weigh much, like he hadn't eaten for a few days.

I laid him on the ground and felt his forehead for a temperature. He was slightly hotter than a regular human should be. His face was pale, and his breathing was off. I reached for his wrist to feel for a pulse. It was _way_ too fast for a normal human.

I automatically started giving out orders. "Iggy," I said, my voice loud and worried. "Feel him for any injuries—broken ribs, cuts, bruises, and the like. Nudge, rip up a shirt or something so we can put a wet cloth on his forehead. We need to get his temperature down. Gazzy, find him some food. I'm sure we have plenty. If we don't, see if you can catch a rabbit or desert rat or something."

"What about me?" Dylan asked, and I scowled. We didn't have time for this.

"I don't know," I said, my voice strained and frustrated. "Go with Gazzy, maybe. Whatever you feel like you need to do, I guess."

Nudge handed me a wet cloth, and I touched it gently to his forehead. Iggy started feeling for injuries, gently pressing around his ribs to see if any were broken.

"A few minor cuts and a lot of bruises," he reported. "But nothing major. If he was in the explosion, if there was one like we think, then he got out lucky."

I nodded, processing this information. Suddenly, a hand grabbed the wrist of the hand that held the wet cloth. The computer hacker was awake.

"What…?" he muttered, his eyes blinking rapidly.

All of us looked at each other at the same time. The last time we had encountered this guy, he'd been running through the desert, and had refused our offer of food and water. He'd been nuts, taken over by Doomsday Group's mind control and made one of their zombies.

I decided to take action. "What is your name?" I asked slowly but firmly.

"Mike Schaefer," he answered blearily.

"Do you know where you are, Mike?" I asked, happy to at least know that he knew is own name and relieved that he hadn't gone ballistic on us. He was a schizophrenic, after all.

He looked around, looking utterly confused. His eyes locked on me. "One Light," he muttered. "The One Light has saved me." He started to get that glazed, zombie look that all DGers got.

"Oh no," Nudge whispered. "How are we going to get him out of being a DGer, Max? Angel isn't here to get through the thoughts."

"Fuck," I muttered, generally pissed off that we didn't have anyone to get through the DG's mind control. I put my head into my hands and rubbed my temples. This was going to be harder than I'd first thought.

But then I remembered something from Paris. Someone running through the crowd, yelling at frequencies that only dogs could hear…

Mike started screaming about the One Light, and Dylan and Iggy held him down. I reached into my backpack and dialed a very, very familiar number.

"What are doing?" Dylan asked. "This is no time for calling friends."

I flipped him off, held the phone up to my ear, and said to Dylan, "But this is a friend who can cure him."

I could only hope.

**Max-Dan-Wiz is stupid because when I put this chapter up on there I got a threat to get banned for the cuss words. So I had to change it and re-post it. xP Anyway, this where the plot gets interesting! And all the action starts to happen! And yes, I did bring computer hacker Mike back. ;) Please remember to vote for which pairings you want to see at the end of this story on the poll on my profile!**

**Please review!**

**-A$h**


	9. Chapter 9

**Welcome back to another chapter! Thanks to all of you who reviewed and favorited/alerted this story!**

**I bet most of you have seen Harry Potter by now. Lucky. :( I'm going to see it next week because that's when my friend gets back from camping. xD We're huge Potterheads. (Check out our Facebook page: You have to admit the Harry Potter books were better than the movies.) In other news: Has anybody seen the Hunger Games movie poster yet? It's so freaking amazing! And, I also might have pink eye. Maybe. Still not sure.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride. Happy?**

**Claimer: I own the plot.**

Chapter 9

"I wonder where they are," Kate wondered out loud, nonchalantly examining her fingernails. I knew that she was worried about Ratchet. She really liked him. And after all, who wouldn't be worried about the guys while they were out scouting for Doomsday Group zombies in the middle of LA all by themselves.

"They'll be fine," I said stiffly, though I myself was beginning to get anxious. They'd been gone for two hours. They should've been back by now.

"You don't know that, Maya!" Kate cried. "They could've been captured! Don't you remember Paris? We nearly died! I just—" She cut herself off because her eyes began to sparkle with tears.

Star walked over and sat next to Kate, pulling her into a hug. "I know, girly," she said. "But we all need to think on the positive side. If they're taking this long, then that means that they must've found something."

Kate nodded, but didn't seem to be reassured. I started drumming my fingers on the armrest of my chair. It was my job to keep Fang alive for Max, as annoying as she was. No one at Itex every told me why, though.

All of us looked at each other suddenly as we heard the sound of a phone vibrating wildly in the next room, which was the guy's.

"Of course one of them forgets their phone," Star muttered angrily. She shot up and walked through the door that connected the two rooms. Kate and I followed her. On the desk was Fang's (black) phone. It was buzzing like a chainsaw in the quiet. She looked at the caller ID and frowned. "What the hell?" she said.

She answered the call. "Hello?"

The person on the other line said something. Kate and I glanced at each other with worried expressions as Star's eyebrows knitted together. "Hold on," she told the caller. "Let me put you on speakerphone."

Star clicked a button and held out the phone. Kate and I walked close to it.

"Why did you pick up Star?" Maximum Ride asked, genuinely confused. "Where's Fang?"

We all grinned at each other and rolled our eyes. "Out with the guys scouting for DGers," I reported. "He forgot his phone."

She laughed. "Of _course _he did," she sighed. "Look, Star, I need to ask a favor from you."

"What?" Star asked.

"We have an old friend with us right now," Max said. "But he's kind of gone off the deep end due to Doomsday Group's mind control. And if I remember correctly, you can get people out of that state of mind."

Star thought for a moment. "I remember," she said, obviously recalling the events in Paris.

There was a pause. "I'll put you on speaker so he can hear you," Max said slowly. "That is, if you want to."

"I'll do it," Star said. "Anyone who's unwillingly doing things against the human race deserves a second chance." An emotion crossed her face, but I couldn't identify it.

"Thank you," Max said. Suddenly, we could hear someone shouting, screaming, and raving about the One Light and how the human race had to die.

"That's him?" Kate asked.

"Yep," Max replied. "The sooner the better, Star. I don't know how much longer Iggy and Dylan can hold him down. He nearly took out Nudge, so she and Gazzy are holding his feet down too."

All of us looked at each other. This guy had to be stark raving _nuts_.

"You might want to cover you ears," Star warned me and Kate. We nodded, bracing ourselves for the impossibly loud noise.

Star opened her mouth and started to say things. I couldn't make out what they were, since I had my ears covered.

Five incredibly _long_ minutes later, Star motioned for us to uncover our ears. "How is he?" I asked.

"He's fine now," Max told us. "He's just sort of freaked out. He doesn't know where he is or how he got here." We heard people talking in the background. One word caught my attention: mutation.

"Thanks, Star," Max said. "The memories are starting to come back now, so we can question him."

"No problem," Star replied, shrugging her shoulders.

There was a pause. "One last thing," Max said slowly. "Did… did Fang ever get my message?"

We all looked at each other. "No," Kate told her. "If he did, he never told us. Why? Is it important that he gets the message?"

Max sighed. "No, I guess not," she said, sounding disappointed. "Anyway, it doesn't matter… Look, we have to get moving. If we can get any information out of this guy, I'll be in touch."

"Okay," Star said. "Bye."

"Bye," Max said back, and the line went dead, leaving nothing but a dial tone that sounded like something out of a horror movie.

We exchanged glances with each other.

"Max and Fang said they wouldn't contact each other unless it was about the DG," Kate whispered.

Star nodded. "Yeah. But remember when Maya first showed up? He went green around the gills. We all know that they, Max and Fang, had—_have_—feelings for each other. Maybe this has something to do with that."

"But she's with Dylan," I murmured as I set down the phone and we walked back into our room. "And you saw how they argued when we were in Paris. Them talking would just turn into a shouting match."

Star sat down on one of the beds, staring at her perfect pedicure, obviously deep in thought. "Remember what Fang told us when we were in the sewers?" she asked. I nodded, and Kate looked dead focused. "Maybe it has something to do with why that Gen 53 girl was killed."

"From the way Fang talked about it," I noted, "it doesn't sound like Max knows that he was indirectly involved."

"True," Kate said. "But think about this, Maya: He and Max have known each other for fifteen years, more or less. They were best friends. I don't think that they kept any secrets from each other. And if this particular circumstance involved a possible murder plot against Max, Fang wouldn't exactly be willing to tell her that he was responsible for the death of one of their friends."

"But even Fang would've had to have told _someone_ about it," Star pointed out. "Everyone has secrets that they need to let out. This one would've brought him nothing but guilt and misery for the last five years. He has to have told someone, and then that someone would've clued Max in."

I thought long and hard. Back when I had been an agent of Itex, I had been allowed permission into some of their most precious files. But when I'd gone to read Fang's file, I had been shut out. There had been something that they hadn't wanted me to know.

Maybe that was what this was all about.

**The action really begins in the chapter after the next one. ;) Not one person has been able to tell me the clue that Fang and his gang found at the Institute! The only person was Cera on Max-dan-wiz. **

**Again, if you figure out the clue, you get free cookies with Fang's face on them!**

**Please review.**

**-A$h**


	10. Chapter 10

**I know, it's been forever since I updated! Blame high school. The only reason I'm updating today is because I'm sick. Again, blame high school.**

**I finally saw Harry Potter Pt. 2. My life is officially over. ),: And my childhood. *sobs* Thankfully they have a Harry Potter enthusiasts club at my school. (A.K.A.: Therapy)**

**In other news, for those of you who don't know, James Patterson has moved the release date of Nevermore from February 2012 to August 2012. Which is good news for us because that means a much longer book. ;)**

**Also, I officially have a Facebook page. (Empress of Sarcasm.) I'll be posting unknown facts about characters and my stories. Also, check there to find out when I'll be updating or going on hiatus. (Which, by the way, will be from now until November, when we have a week-long break for Thanksgiving.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or any of its characters/.**

**Claimer: I own the plot.**

Chapter 10

"Here," I said, handing Mike a water bottle and some charred desert rat. Yes, desert rat. Us flock members had had to resort to our old diet of warm bottled water and rat, cooked over an open flame to a crisp, after a quick scan of our backpacks had revealed a less-than-satisfactory supply of three protein bars. And that's out of the entire flock, by the way. "It'll help."

Just like old times, as the saying goes.

Only, you know, now Fang had his own group of mutants, wasn't here, my entire biological family was missing, Angel was dead (possibly, we were still unsure at this point), Dylan was a part of the flock, and now we had straggler Mike Schaefer, the computer hacker from months past.

But still just like old times.

He gladly accepted the food and drink and scarfed down the rat so fast that it made all of us blink. He guzzled the water like, well, a starving person who hadn't eaten for four days because they'd survived a freaking explosion.

"So what's your story?" I asked.

Mike stared into the fire for a second, and then looked at me. He seemed a dozen times older than the last time I'd seen him healthy, which was in the New York subway tunnels.

"Last month I was in LA," he said after a few minutes. "I was working for some corporate executive, trying to hack some rival's files. I was downtown when I saw you bird kids show up. Apparently there was some shindig at some major Hollywood-type club/restaurant." I nodded, remembering the incident in which Angel had actually aimed a gun at me and intended to shoot me and Jeb had been shot by an evil minion of one of our enemies. He paused. "That was when the Doomsday Group caught me.

"This girl started talking to me. She talked so honestly and sincerely that I just couldn't help but listen. And when I looked into her eyes…" He shuddered. "That was when I started thinking like one of them. It was horrible.

"So I ditched my computer—" He grimaced, like the thought was the worst thing possible "—and headed east. I had heard about a facility here in the desert that could make me a mutant. As a DG-head, that sounded like the best possible thing ever. That was when I met up with you, Dylan, and the little girl—Angel you said her name was?

"So I made it to the facility. They welcomed me with open arms. They thought it was brave that I wanted to become one of you—a mutant." He stopped for a minute. "And I got what I wanted. They gave me wings and all the 'perks' that come with it. The metabolism, the warmer core temperature, the bone structure, everything.

"'Bout a week later, I heard a couple of the leaders talking about the explosion in Paris. They wanted to blow up this facility, make sure authorities could never find it. So they did. I hadn't gotten far enough away by the time the clock hit zero. I got knocked unconscious. The next thing I knew, you guys found me, cured me of my DG-ness, and here we are."

I nodded, processing this information. "Mike," I whispered. "While you were in the facility, did you ever meet a girl named Ella Martinez?"

He looked at me. "Why? She a friend of yours?"

I poked the flaming logs of the fire with a stick. "She's my sister," I told him, my voice soft.

A look of sympathy crossed his face. He thought. "I think…" he muttered. "Yeah, I met your sister. She's a real looker that one, just like you. Guess it runs in the family."

"Where is she?" Iggy shouted, standing up. "Is she alive? Did she make it out?"

"Hold you horses there, buddy," Mike said. "Let me finish." As soon as Iggy sat down on the dirt heavily, he continued. "She got the surgery to be grafted with wings about the same time I did. She and I went through training together. She's a great fighter. The last time I saw her was about an hour before the explosion, getting on a bus with some other DG members. I don't know where the bus was going, but all I know was that she got out safely."

I let out a sigh of relief, and so did Iggy. For the first time in days, I felt a sense of hope.

"Which way did the bus go, Mike?" Dylan asked.

Mike's brow crinkled. "Southeast, if my memory serves me correctly—which it always does."

More relief swept through me. At least I knew the general direction where my sister was going. That at least left out most of North America, Europe, and Asia. That left South and Central America and Africa.

"Do you know where they might have taken them?" I asked.

"Yeah," Mike said. "There's one place that they take trainees with gills—like your sister has."

"Where?" Iggy asked. I knew that he wanted to go there.

Mike thought, rubbing his temples. "About a thousand miles off the coast of Rio there's this base. From what I've heard, they have about twenty-thousand mutants there. And you have to take a boat to get there."

"Why?" I asked. This just kept getting more mysterious by the second.

He chuckled. "Like I said, it's a thousand miles off the coast. And plus they've got shark/human hybrids guarding the place day in and day out, so if you try to park your boat a good ways off and swim your way in, which you'd have to by the way since the entrance is a little bit below the surface, you'd be subjected to a feeding frenzy on a scale you've never heard of, let alone seen. You try to sneak in there you don't have a chance."

I thought for a long time. The odds were certainly weighed against us. But then again, when had that ever stopped me before?

"I have an idea," I told them after a while. "But it's going to take a lot of effort on both parts."

"I'm sorry," Dylan said, holding up one hand. "Did you just say _both_ parts? Who else do we need to get involved?"

I smiled. "Their part can wait for a while. But ours—mine—will take a little bit more effort." I told them the plan quietly, just in case someone might be listening in. (Yeah right. We had scanned the entire area within a fifty mile radius. No one was going to listen.)

Iggy thought. "That… might just work," he said. "But you never know with him."

I nodded. "But it's worth every chance we have. Now everyone get some sleep. We have a long flight tomorrow."

**This is where the story gets good. ;) This chapter was officially dedicated to GoldfishThoughts, who is possibly the best reviewer I've ever had. Thanks for your words of encouragement!**

**Please remember to review/favorite/alert! **

**Peace, Love, Happiness, and Maximum Ride.**

**-A$h**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or any of its characters. Screw you lawyers.**

**Claimer: I own the plot, Mr. Cortez, and the _Eagle_.**

Chapter 11

Have I ever mentioned how much I _love_ warm weather? And I'm not talking like what they have in Southern California, where it's warm half the year. I'm talking tropical weather. Balmy beach air, surf, sand, and sun.

Unfortunately, I wasn't in the Bahamas on a pleasure trip. It was, as the saying goes, strictly business.

"Mr. Cortez," I said pleasantly, holding my hand out to shake. "It's wonderful to finally meet you in person." Geez, I sounded like a total prep. I was dressed like one too in an outfit Nudge was entirely proud of—a pink crinkled tank top with lace lining the bottom and for the straps, a small white knit sweater over that, a jean skirt, and a pair of white Toms. My hair was perfectly curled and put in a low side ponytail. She had even gone to town with the makeup, adding light brown eye shadow, mascara, eyeliner, and sparkly cherry lip gloss. Just to make sure I looked even more like Jeb, Nudge had added her secret weapon—blue colored contacts.

Mr. Cortez, the elderly dock owner, smiled and shook my hand. "Miss Batchelder," he said with equal warmth, though there was an undertone of distaste. He had a slight Cuban accent. "Your father contacted me. He told me you'd be coming." I smiled inwardly. He believed my Oscar-worthy performance after all. I had rehearsed everything, even if something unexpected came up. Dylan and Iggy had made sure of that, playing the part of Mr. Cortez in turn.

"Yes," I said, soaking up every minute of the royal life I could. Ah, the perks of being the biological daughter of a leading research scientist. "I believe he informed you that I would be taking the boat for an early summer trip."

He nodded, leading me down the dock, which was lined with spotless white sailboats, ships, and yachts. "Yes he did inform me," he said. Because of my raptor vision, I couldn't help but notice a fine layer of sweat forming on his deeply tan skin. I could practically smell his nervousness. It was either that or the BO that was emanating from him like no one's business. "The boat as been cleaned thoroughly, and we have supplied you with extra sail and rope, as you requested."

"Good," I said, making sure to hold myself high and mighty. "I will make sure that you are sent payment the next time we make port, Mr. Cortez. Good day."

Mr. Cortez nodded and stalked away, grumbling something about "Batchelders" and "thinking they're so royal." I smirked.

As I started to turn, I noticed Gazzy and Total running down the dock. They nearly took out Mr. Cortez, who wobbled dangerously at the edge, close to falling into the clear blue water.

"Max!" Gazzy cried, stopping in front of me, clutching a stitch in his side, gasping for breath. "Nudge… just got off… the phone… with Fang… He said… he said he'll come…"

I sighed with relief. "At least he agreed to listen," I muttered. "Where're the others?"

Gazzy sucked in a breath and stood up, hands on his hips to open his lungs (and air sacks) a little better so he could get more breath. "They're right behind me. But I don't think they ran."

I laughed and ruffled his fine blond hair. "Okay. Well then you can help me start loading things onto the boat."

"Did Fang tell you when he'd be here?" I asked as we walked down the dock.

"He said he'd be here in a day," Total reported. "After all, most of those namby-pamby teenagers in his gang can't fly."

I smirked. How did they manage not flying? "All right. That'll give us enough time to get everything packed and be rested enough to start this trip."

Just then, we walked up to Jeb's large sailboat called the _Eagle_. It was pretty small compared to the yachts that lined the docks, but large nonetheless. Which is still pretty freaking big. It was painted in a fresh coat of spotless white and the name was written in flawless cursive on the bow. (Which means the front of the ship.)

_What __a __nice __name_, I mused. _I __still __can__'__t __believe __he __named __it __after __a __type __of _bird _when __I __have __freaking _bird _DNA._

In case you don't know what's going on, my plan was to basically steal Jeb's boat to get to the sort-of-underwater facility Mike had told us about. Due to the enormity of the situation we were dealing with and the fact that I was the only person left in the flock who could breathe under water (Other than Mike. But he had little fighting skill.), I needed Fang and his gang to help out. (Fang and Holden could breathe under water, after all. I still wasn't sure about Maya.) The cover story I was using for taking the boat was that I was just about to graduate from high school and wanted to take everyone on an "early summer excursion," seeing the sights that the eastern coast of South America had to offer.

As Gazzy and I started loading stuff onto the boat after I'd changed into something a lot more my speed (jean shorts, a black tank top, and black Converse high tops. I'd taken out the contacts too. They were _so_ uncomfortable.), Total somewhat helping, the rest of the flock finally showed up, Mike in tow. He had agreed to help us out, because he had befriended Ella at the facility in Arizona, and wanted to help her out in any way he could.

"Did Gazzy tell you already?" Nudge asked, tucking her poofy brown hair behind one ear. "I wish you'd kept that outfit on! You looked _so_ cute."

"Yep," I said, hoisting a crate over the railing and onto the deck. "We don't have a lot of time, and I want to be underway before sunset tomorrow. Let's get moving."

Two hours later, all the provisions and belongings had been stored in various places throughout the _Eagle_. The sun was just starting to go down, and all of us were starving. Iggy had agreed to make dinner in the ships galley (kitchen), just to get a feel for where everything was.

"Hey, Max," Dylan said as I claimed my bunk in the girls' berthing compartment. (That's fancy sailor talk for "bedroom.") "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did," I pointed out, laying out my sleeping bag on one of the top bunks, which I had claimed as mine. "But ask away." I leaned against the wall and stared at him intently. His blue eyes expressed a nervousness that I'd never seen from him. "What?"

"Why did you call Fang that one day when we stopped in New York?" he asked. "I thought you agreed to not contact each other unless it was about the Doomsday Group."

I blinked, utterly astonished. "That's personal information," I said, icicles dripping from my words. The temperature dropped in the room from my tone. "And besides, if I wanted to tell you, I would've."

He leaned casually against the doorframe. "I'll bet it has something to do with why he put you in danger."

I glared at him and nimbly jumped off my bunk. "What do you mean?"

He smirked and stared down at me. "You and I both know that he left to keep you out of danger. And I have a feeling that what Iggy told you that day has everything and more to do with why Fang puts you continually in danger."

I thought, pursing my lips. I hadn't actually given much thought to mine and Iggy's conversation that day. I had put it out of my mind since I'd called Star a week earlier. But Dylan's words seemed to cut through me. They were like knives being driven into my already aching heart. I hated the idea of thinking that he was right about it. "Why are you telling me this?" I asked, looking away and closing my eyes.

"One, because I care about you," Dylan answered bluntly. "Two, because he'll be here soon, and I don't know what trouble this'll mean for you and the flock. And three, whatever he did that Iggy told you about has to mean danger."

I stared coldly at him. "Whatever Fang did," I said quietly, my tone mild, "has little or nothing to do with you. And also, I don't want you guys to start fighting while we're on our way. You seemed to get along pretty well last time, if I remember correctly."

I blinked at my own words. I hadn't been that sarcastic or that mean to him since our night in the desert, right before Mom and Jeb had gone missing.

Dylan grinned in a cocky sort of way that made me want to slap it right off his face. Only, I'm not one for slapping. I'm more of a fistfight kind of girl. I glared at him. He shrugged and walked out of the room.

I groaned loudly and fell back onto the bunk beneath mine. Sometimes I wished that I had never agreed to be the leader.

**And so Max's plan to rescue Ella is revealed! Sorry for the lack of updates, but ROTC + high school + douche of a biology teacher = no time for _moi_. Thankfully I'm on Thanksgiving break right now. ;) I'm very happy, because I passed my PFT (physical fitness test), which is one third of my final for ROTC. (We also have the AMI (Annual Military Inspection) and the actual written final.) I get a ribbon for passing to add to my salad bar. (Which is naval jargon (slang) for "the place where your ribbons go on your uniform.) We also had our Navy/Marine Corps Birthday Ball a couple of weeks ago. It was _sooooo_ much fun! I got my first slow dance. ;D**

**My next update will be tomorrow, and then I won't be able to update until Christmas break (December 19-January 9) because I'll be too busy studying for midterms. Also, check out my Facebook page if you have one! I'll be posting some facts about characters and when my next update will be. The Kate/Ratchet/Mike/Star poll is up now! Vote for which pairing you want to see at the end of this story.**

**-A$h**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or any of its characters.**

**Claimer: I own the plot, the _Eagle_, and the mysterious base halfway out to sea. ;)**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 12<span>

"Are you sure that this is the place?" Maya asked as Fang and his gang walked down the cobbled streets of one of the picturesque islands in the Bahamas. _Why__Max__told__us__to__meet__her__here__is__beyond__me,_ Fang thought.

"I'm certain," Fang replied, making sure to keep his guard up. It may have been a beautiful scenic town, but the Doomsday Group could be anywhere, as the gang's trips to Comic Con and Paris had proved.

"I see the docks," Ratchet said, pointing east.

Fang looked to where Ratchet was pointed. Sure enough, a few hundred yards away were docks filled with spotless white boats, some with color on them and some with none.

When they walked past the first few boats, Fang got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. These sort of boats no doubt belonged to higher-up people in society, a place where mutants like him tended to stick out like partiers at a funeral. Why did Max want to meet them _here_ of all places?

"She said the name was the _Eagle_, right?" Holden asked, peering carefully at each vessel to check the names.

"Yeah," Fang said, shifting his focus to boats further off. So far he didn't see the ship where Max had told them to go.

"Hey there stranger!" a voice called from above.

Fang looked up at the tall mast of a large (white) sailboat. Leaning casually against it was Maximum Ride. Fang's heart beat painfully as he watched her glittering dirty-blond hair whip around her face in the wind. Because of the warm weather, she was wearing a pair of jean shorts which were fashionably ripped (by Nudge, no doubt) and a pale yellow spaghetti strap tank-top. However, she wore her usual brown leather combat boots that went up to the middle of her calves.

Max's mouth quirked, almost smiling and just… dropped from the mast. She landed crouching onto the deck. She stood with the easy confidence of a natural-born leader and pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail. "What a coincidence meeting you here," she continued half-sarcastically. She was smiling in that familiar sardonic way Fang had grown used to.

Fang permitted himself a small smile. "Permission to come aboard?" he asked.

"Sure," she said easily, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "By the way, you didn't run into the dock owner on your way in, did you?"

Fang raised an eyebrow as he leapt onto the boat, grabbing the railing with one hand and swinging his body over it with ease. "No," he said as the others followed his lead. "Why? You owe him money?"

She scowled at the jab. "No," she said evasively. "He just doesn't like me very much. Nor anyone who claims to be my friend." She shook her head. "But never mind that. Now that you're here we can get underway. Do you guys mind helping out? After that we can go belowdecks and discuss the plan and what we've found."

"Sure," Ratchet said, giving a mock salute. "Whatever you say, Captain."

Max rolled her eyes. "We don't actually _have_ a captain," she told them. "All right… let's have… Holden and Kate go hoist the sail with Iggy, Gazzy, and Nudge. Ratchet, Maya, and Star, you guys go untie the boat from the dock and tie down the sail."

They nodded and rushed off to their respective jobs. Fang frowned and asked, "What about me?"

Max studied him, she herself frowning. "Come with me." She led him to the wheelhouse, where Dylan was checking various pieces of equipment. When he saw Fang walk in he sent a quick, hateful glance his way and then went back to whatever he was doing.

"You'll be navigator," Max said, gesturing to a table with maps, compasses, and other position-finding tools. "I'm one too, just in case you mess up." She grinned like this was the most hilarious thing ever. Then she frowned. She looked around the wheelhouse like there was something missing. She pursed her lips and held up one finger as if to say to give her a second. Then she peered down the staircase and shouted, "Yo! Mike! Up and at 'em!"

There was a loud groan from somewhere below and a loud bang, followed by someone swearing loudly. Fang shot Max a questioning glance, and she winked, smiling.

"Already?" a familiar voice asked, footsteps ascending the steep stairs. "I thought we weren't leaving until two."

Max rolled her eyes. "In your dreams, buddy," she said. "I said we'd be underway as soon as Fang got here. He's here, so we're leaving."

Just then, the computer hacker named Mike appeared at the top of the stairs in a pair of jeans, his glasses askew, his shirt missing, and a pair of wings, light brown in color that darkened the nearer you got to the tips, half-unfolded.

Fang raised an eyebrow at Max. She mouthed silently, "Tell you later." He nodded and shook Mike's hand.

"How've you been?" Mike asked.

"Fine," Fang replied, keeping to his quota of one word per sentence.

Mike nodded, and then yawned again. He straightened his glasses and shuffled over to a computer where he pulled up some maps and started typing in what looked suspiciously like gibberish.

Max walked over to the map table and started to mutter to herself about "weather patterns" and "storm fronts." Since Fang had no idea where exactly they were going, he asked, "Where exactly are we headed?"

Max frowned and looked up at him. "I told you that we'd fill you in on the plan once we were well off," she said sharply. "But right now we're headed five nautical miles out to sea. And that's what Dylan and I agreed would be 'well off.'"

Fang really, _really_ wanted to glare at Dylan. But he knew that Max would get pissed off if he did. "All right," Fang said quietly. He could sense Dylan's smugness about being one of the two to come up with the plan. Instead of punching his lights out like he wanted to, Fang settled to seething quietly.

"Hey, Dyl," Max said. Fang shook with anger at her calling him that. "Can you turn on the radio? I want to check and see what sort of weather we're in for."

"Sure," Dylan said, grinning smugly at Fang. He turned on a small radio that hung overhead and automatically a voice came on, saying the weather for the next seven days. Max seemed to be placated by the announcements, which called for calms seas and favorable winds.

About an hour and a half later, they had finally reached the agreed distance of five nautical miles. Fang wished his gang could fly, as he had begun to remember what slow going sailing was. And the confined space enough to make him throw something heavy across the room. (Most likely towards Dylan's head…)

"Ugh…" Ratchet moaned as he came down the aft stairs, holding his stomach like it would keep the contents from going the opposite direction of which they were supposed to go. "I don't feel too good…" He let loose a small heave, and his cheeks puffed out. Fang began to worry that he would end up barfing all over one of them.

"Don't worry," Nudge reassured him. "You'll get your sea legs soon enough. And besides, the sea-sickness usually dissipates within three days if you drink enough fluid."

"That makes me feel better," Ratchet mumbled, heaving again, his face a violent shade of green now. This time he made a break for the bathroom. To add insult to injury, Star, Maya, and Max all snickered at his show of weakness. Although one of them had no room to tease (*cough*_Max_*cough*) since this person had been sea-sick for four days straight while en route to Antarctica.

"What do you have to do to get some food in this joint?" Star asked, already making a break for the galley.

"We have Cheetohs," Max called, knowing that it was Star's favorite. She shook her head the slightest bit, then turned to Fang. Her eyes seemed to say, "Geez, I missed you guys." There was the slightest hint of a smile on her full lips.

Fang permitted himself a small smile, and her eyes seemed to light up. Dylan took notice of their silent conversation and pointedly glared at Fang as if daring him to continue. There was a threatening glint to his disgustingly blue eyes. Fang's body tensed, ready to take the schmuck down without a moment's hesitation. Star walked in then, munching on Cheetohs, but paused when she sensed the growing tension.

Max and the others seemed to sense the tension rising between the two men and stiffened. She said sternly, her voice breaking the silence and tension like an ice pick, "Enough, both of you. I didn't decide to join our groups just for you two to argue like a couple of middle school girls over whether Taylor Laughtner or Robert Pattinson is hotter."

Both looked at her. Max's usually molten brown eyes had turned to icy marble in a matter of milliseconds. Dylan sat back, still glaring at Fang, but not quite ready to pick a fight. Fang slightly lowered his posture, not beaten, but not victor of this minor stare down.

Just then Ratchet shuffled in. His face was pale green beneath his hood. He plopped down on the couch next to Kate and put his arm around her shoulders. "So what's all of this about, Cap'n?" he asked Max, his tone slow and careful, like he was afraid that if he talked he'd throw up again.

Everyone stared at Max. She looked up at them and seemed to shift uncomfortably in her seat. Fang remembered her slight stage fright. "It's a long story," she muttered.

"We've got time," Kate replied coolly, tossing her glossy black hair back.

Max bit her lip in that cute, familiar way Fang had long since grown used to. Only this time she didn't bite it so hard that she drew blood, like she was famous for doing. She cast a quick glance at Dylan, who Fang saw almost imperceptibly nod. She sighed and began to tell their story.

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><p><strong>Sorry for the cliffhanger, but that's the way it's going to have to be for a while. The next chapter will be up on December 9, my first day of Winter Break. Remember to reviewfavorite!**

**-A$h**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or any of its characters.**

**Claimer: I own the plot. Try to take that from me, James Patterson, and you'll be big trouble.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 13<span>

"A week ago," I began, choosing my words as carefully as I could, "the flock and I went to the same facility where Jeb's plane crashed a few weeks ago, looking for Ella. We found the place totally demolished.

"That's where we found Mike," I continued, gesturing towards the latest addition to my flock of uncivilized hellions. "He told us that the head DG members at the facility had planned to blow the place to heck so that way authorities could never pin down exactly who was behind all of the mad experimenting. He told us that Ella had gotten her genes cut open and spliced with some avian genes like he did."

Fang's dark eyes widened the slightest bit, and the others in his gang winced in sympathy. Obviously Fang had updated them on the latest info about my family. (Such as Ella, Jeb, and my mom all mysteriously disappearing within twenty-four hours of each other.)

"She got out of the explosion like everyone else," I reassured them. "And even better: we know where she was headed. Which leads me into my explanation about this fine vessel." I gestured around as if encompassing the ship of which we now manned. "This boat belongs to Jeb, who is my biological father, as some of you now know. Since I'm his daughter, I therefore have access to anything he owns, such as this boat.

"Several days ago I contacted the dock owner saying that I needed the _Eagle_ so I could take several friends on an early summer trip in honor of my graduation from high school." I snickered. "He agreed, not suspecting a thing."

"So what's the plan that you have?" Fang asked. "And what does it have to do with the boat?"

"Like I told you before," I explained. "We know exactly where Ella and the other mutants were headed, thanks to Mike's information. They were headed southeast. And Mike knew of a water-stationed Doomsday Group base where they take trainees with gills. It's about a thousand miles off the coast of Rio. Our plan is to head south and get into the base to rescue Ella." They all looked a little confused at my explanation of the base.

"Which is why you need us," Star realized.

I nodded. "Mike and I are the only ones left in the flock who can breathe underwater. Fang and Holden can as well. At this point, we're going to need anyone we can get to help us."

Fang and Holden exchanged looks. "We're in," Fang said.

I smiled. "Thank you." I turned to Maya. "Can you breathe underwater? I'm not entirely sure and I just want to check."

Maya frowned. "I can't, actually," she replied. "We don't have any powers in common, despite the fact we're actually twins."

I peered closer at Maya. There were a couple of major differences in our looks, which meant that she couldn't have been my clone. The way her hair parted differently, slightly to the left as compared to the way mine parted to the right; her eyebrows had a little more curve than mine; and the shape of her eyes were a little more round, compared to the way mine were more almond-shaped. But other than that we looked exactly the same.

I shrugged. "All right. Now back to the plan. Had it been just the flock on this little voyage and considering how much food we've been able to store here on board, there would be enough for a week. But, since all of you are here and Mike is as well, there's enough for three days more or less. That includes your appetite, Star. That's why we'll make port every so often—about every two days—to stock up on provisions. While in port we can catch up on news on the DG."

"Brilliant!" Holden said. "But… how long will it take to get there?"

I frowned and did a mental calculation. "About two weeks, Starfish, if these conditions remain the same. But considering that we'll have to cross the Equator, and the doldrums, to get where we need to go, I'd say three weeks. Maybe three and a half."

Everyone nodded. And so the events to come were set in motion.

As we were eating dinner that night, as made by Iggy and Maya, which was something as simple and American as you could get (hot dogs), I pointed out, "We need to figure out a wheel watch schedule."

"There'll be three watches per night," Iggy suggested. "Just like old times. First watch from nine until midnight, second is watch from midnight until four, and third watch from four until seven or until a few other people are awake. And each person's watch is every other night, because there are only three watches and we don't want the same people to stay up every night."

We all nodded in agreement.

"I'll take first watch tonight," Dylan offered.

"I'll take second watch," I said, gesturing to everyone with my bottle of water.

"Then I'll have third watch," Fang said, his voice quiet and deliberate.

"So that's tonight's watches and every other night," Star decided. "I'll take first watch tomorrow."

"Second," Ratchet said, his mouth full of hot dog.

"How about you guys let me take third watch then?" Iggy asked.

"No!" everyone said at once. There was no way in hell we trusted him to steer the boat.

He shrugged and leaned against the booth that went half-way around the circular table. "Just asking."

"_I__'__ll_ take third watch," Kate reassured us.

After we had eaten dinner, I went to the bow of the boat and leaned against the railing. I stared up at the stars, which glittered brightly like diamonds against a black velvet sky. You could see more stars out here than most places because there wasn't any light pollution from cities.

"Yo," Fang said.

I didn't turn to look at him, and kept my eyes on the stars. "Hey."

He leaned against the railing across from me and stared down at the dark water which broke against the bow. His black eyes, darker than the night around us, were unreadable. "Gazzy's been quiet," he said lamely.

I became frustrated with myself and him for our stupidity. Where were the days when we could talk about anything, and didn't have to make lame conversations that were just plain awkward?

I nodded absently, my mind on the vision I'd had a few weeks earlier. "Yeah. He's still upset about… about what happened in Paris." I paused. "We all are."

"Look, Max," Fang whispered, "I tried to save her. I really did. She was right in front of me when the bomb went off. It's my fault she's gone."

I turned my head and stared at him. His dark eyes were on me, so intense I felt a scarlet blush creep up my neck and bloom across my cheeks. I absently thought about all the time's we'd spent together—just the two of us. "Fang… it's not your fault. What happened happened, and you can't change that. You shouldn't beat yourself up about something that you had no control over." I smiled encouragingly and put a hand on his shoulder. "Trust me. Everyone has their ghosts. Try to make peace with yours."

He turned away, once again staring at the water. "And your ghosts?"

My hand returned to the railing. I looked down at my bare feet, which were starting to go numb with cold. "Ari," I replied softly. "Selene."

Fang's eyes softened as he looked at me. "There was nothing that you could have done about Ari," he said. "But in the end you made peace with him, and that's all that matters." He paused, his eyes becoming unreadable again. "And Selene was never you ghost to regret." He turned away again as he said this.

My eyebrows knitted together. "What do you mean?" I asked. "Selene wasn't your ghost either. After all, it wasn't your fault that she got sent to the… to the School Yard. It was the freaking whitecoats."

Fang chuckled darkly. "You'd be surprised," he told me, an undertone of warning coating his words. "Not everything was as it seemed those last weeks at the School."

"Then tell me what happened," I murmured, leaning closer. "I already know that the whitecoats were planning on taking a mutant into either the School Yard or the Arena, but you stopped them. So they took another." I thought for a moment. "What really happened that day?"

Fang stared at me, his eyes like black ice. The temperature around us seemed to drop several degrees. "How did you know that?" he asked, outrage creeping into his voice.

"Iggy told me," I whispered, determined to keep my composure. "But I want to know the whole story, Fang. That was why I called you."

He turned away, his dark eyes closing tightly. His hands gripped the railing so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "I never got your message," he replied. "And I can't tell you that."

"You can't or you won't?" I demanded. The wind kicked up around us, making my hair whip around my face violently.

"I just _can__'__t_, Maximum!" he shouted.

Silence.

The wind immediately stopped, and my hair fell down onto my shoulders. The sound of the water lapping against the boat seemed ten times louder now. The sound of the flock and his gang inside, playing some video game, continued, but not enough to drown out everything around us.

I was shocked. Fang _never_ yelled at me. And he _never_ used my full name. No one did, except maybe Jeb whenever he got pissed off at me.

My emotions must have surfaced and crossed my face, because Fang bit his lip and closed his eyes, regaining his composure. When he opened them again, he showed no emotion whatsoever. "I can't," he murmured. "It's just not information you'd be happy knowing. You'd never forgive me for as long as you lived."

Okay, now I really, _really_ wanted to know. Call me quirky.

Just then, Dylan walked out onto the deck and surveyed the ocean around us and the sky, which had become overcast with clouds. But I knew he was trying to listen in on our conversation. _Son__of__a__bitch,_I thought bitterly. Couldn't anyone have any privacy on this boat?

"Fine," I said to Fang. "Goodnight."

I didn't give him time to reply, because I was already gone. As I walked past Dylan to get to the stairs, I could practically feel his anger; not just at me and Fang, but at himself as well.

As I slowly made my way down the stairs, I couldn't help but wonder what secret Fang was so desperate to keep.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm so evil. ;) I don't reveal Fang's big secret until… like, two chapters from now. And let me tell you: it's a pretty damn BIG secret that gets revealed. Like, it affected the entire plot of the books big. Also, does anyone else know who is developing a power? *evil grin* I'm not going to say who or what power, 'cause that's for <em>much<em> later in the story.**

**In other news, the next chapter (from Angel's PoV, BTW) will be up on Wednesday. The chapter after that will be up next Wednesday, 'cause that Sunday's Christmas and I'm guessing you lot want to spend time with your families.**

**Also, remember how I said I wasn't going to reveal who won the Max/Maya/Dylan/Fang poll until the last chapter? Well, with the way I'm writing this story now, I'll have to reveal it in the middle of the story. But it won't be sudden. Trust me. Remember to vote on the Kate/Star/Ratchet/Mike poll if you have an account!**

**-A$h**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride. There. Happy?**

**Claimer: I own the idea of this plot. That includes the Language of the Souls and the man with no name mentioned in this chapter. ;)**

Chapter 14

"Wake up, Angel," said the man's voice again.

Angel pried her eyes open, but was having a lot of trouble. She was so tired. She just wanted to go back to sleep. She had been having such a nice dream. She'd been at the E-house with the flock. Dylan and Fang's gang hadn't been there. It was just the flock. It had been sunny and warm and Angel had been sunning near the lake the flock had loved to visit when they had lived there. Iggy and Gazzy had been flying up into the air and doing cannon balls into the clear blue water. Nudge had been reading a magazine while tanning. Fang and Max were sitting on the beach, just talking.

But now she was back in her room. She had been moved from the hospital there at the base to a small room a few days earlier. It was sparse, with bare brick walls, a cot with taught white sheets, a desk with a chair, and a wardrobe. It had a small window, where Angel could see tall trees waving in the wind. She had no idea where the base was, or what country it was in. All she knew was that it belonged to the man who had gotten her out of the explosion.

Angel stood and made her bed like she had gotten in the habit of doing. Then she opened the wardrobe and selected a small, emerald-green kimono and a pair of black satin slippers. Not that she had much choice. Her entire wardrobe consisted of different colored kimonos with different designs sewn on. Angel glanced down at her left wrist, where Mark had used the poker back in Paris. The markings still remained and they still hurt. Hastily, Angel wrapped a strip of gauze over it.

After dressing in the kimono and hiding her injuries, she left her room and walked down several of the drafty hallways to the dining hall, where the other mutants ate. There were about three-thousand mutants that lived here at the base. Nearly two thirds of the mutants were Gen. 77s. But the other third were slightly older generations, like the man who was keeping her here. He was a first generation mutant, and was very, _very _powerful.

Angel walked up to the high table, where the man sat to the immediate right of the chair that was in the dead-center of the high table. No one ever sat there, because it was reserved for the One Light. The only problem was, the One Light was never there. Angel walked over to her seat, which was to the left of the empty chair in the middle.

The man was bald, his scalp shining as though he polished it every morning. He had pale skin, dark brown eyebrows, and pale blue eyes. He was very tall, as he was several inches over six feet. Angel thought that maybe he was seven feet tall. He was dressed, as he always was, in black jeans and a black shirt.

What frightened Angel the most about the man wasn't the fact that he was powerful: It was his eyes. They seemed to glow with power and would peer right into your very soul. And, even scarier still, was the fact that he never seemed to blink. He stared. And that was what frightened Angel the most. What was also curious was that he never mentioned his name.

As Angel sat down and piled scrambled eggs onto her plate, he turned to her and said in his deep, smooth voice, reminding her of Hannibal Lector from _Silence of the Lambs_, "Did you sleep well, Angel?"

Angel knew better than to ignore him, as she had learned earlier in her stay here at the base. "Yes," she answered, her voice soft. She forked some of the eggs into her mouth, wishing that she could be back with Max and the flock in Paris before it had blown up or been overrun by the Doomsday Group.

He nodded and went back to staring intently at the mutants in the hall. Another odd thing about the man was that he never ate. Yes, he did put food on his plate, but he never took one bite of it. This was even stranger, considering that he was muscular and looked as though he could lift at least a hundred-fifty pounds.

After she had finished her breakfast, Angel went to her morning lessons, which were given to her by the man personally. The strange thing was, she didn't learn normal things like math and history. She learned astronomy, alchemy, and ancient history.

But the oddest thing, by far, she learned was the Language of the Souls. It was like the most beautiful, haunting melody you ever heard uttered, but made you feel emotions you never felt before, like hatred, passion, and so many other things. It was so macabre that every time Angel heard it goosebumps appeared up and down her arms.

"You are progressing well," he commented after Angel had finished her alchemy work. "Maybe soon I will be able to teach you the arts of dreamscape, scrying, and magic."

Angel's eyebrows knitted together. "Magic?" she asked. "What are you talking about? Magic isn't real."

The man sighed and shook his head. Then he turned and looked out of the window of the study, where a willow tree's thin, whip-like branches rustled in the wind and an azure sky glowed with blinding white sunlight. "Do you want to know something, Angel?" he asked, his voice quiet.

Angel didn't get time to answer, because he started talking.

"The world is a hard, cruel place," he whispered, like he was remembering something. "I grew up in a science lab, much like you and your family did. I was an experiment and so were my friends.

"Then, one day, when I was about seventeen, the scientists there murdered the love of my life, my Elaine." He paused at the name, like he was recalling something pleasant. "I became angry, bitter, and vengeful. I swore that one day I'd kill the men who killed her.

"And I did. I murdered them and their families. I wiped them off the face of the earth. Those murderers didn't deserve to live, and neither did their offspring. They were human. They were destroying everything."

He smiled slightly in a creepy sort of way. Angel began to wonder if maybe the man _was_ a cannibal like Hannibal Lector. "That is why humans must die, Angel," he told her. "They are destructive and will do anything to get their way. That is why people like me exist. Do you understand, Angel?"

Angel was silent for a few moments, taking all of this in. She began to worry that maybe he would kill the flock if she angered him. "Yes, sir," she replied meekly.

He smiled. "Good," he said. "You are dismissed."

As Angel left the room, she put all her concentration into one thought, which she hoped the someone she was sending it to was around to hear.

_Help me._

**A _lot_ of important information was mentioned in this chapter. I have been working my ass off trying to write most of it down before I forget it. (Which is why I have a separate notebook for this fic's back story alone. Most of the back story will never be published in any way, shape, or form, but it's still highly important.) Most of you probably already know, but I've got five more months of work ahead of me before I can show you guys stuff around chapter 25. (Look at my most recent post on Max-dan-wiz if you're curious.)**

**In other news I'm _still_ in need of a artist for artwork for this story. Also, I'm putting "Greek Angels" up for adoption. (I know. I'm a terrible author.) The thing is I just don't have the heart to continue writing it now that I have this story going. I still know where I want the plot to go, and I plan on beta-ing the fic once it's been adopted, but I just don't have the time or will to keep writing it full-time or discontinue it entirely.**

**Please, please remember to review! (And PM me if your interesting in doing the artwork and/or adopting "Greek Angels!")**

**-A$h**


	15. Chapter 15

**Happy New Years!**

**This is guys. The big reveal. For the last six months I've been building up the tension, and now you finally get to find out Fang's big secret. See you at the bottom!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters. Happy James Patterson?**

**Claimer: I own the plot, Fang's secret, and the _Eagle_.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 15<span>

A week after we had set off, we made port at a small seaside village in the country of Venezuela. I had no clue what it was called, but the people were nice. They were kind enough to provide us with enough supplies that would last until our next stop.

As we were loading things onto the boat, my stomach started to ache, like I had the flu or something. And yet it was like I felt that something bad was about to happen. (I'd had this feeling several times before.) But I ignored it and continued to hand crates of supplies to Dylan after being passed them by Fang.

"Are you all right?" Fang asked as he passed me another crate. Judging by the weight and the sounds coming from within, it was full of canned food, a favorite of us Gen. 54.

I didn't glance up at him as I said tersely, "I'm fine." We hadn't properly spoken since our argument the previous week. And I was just as curious about what had happened to him and his secret. But my goal was to get that secret out before we parted ways again.

"No you're not," he said, his voice quiet. "You're pale."

I reached up and touched my face. I felt clammy and a cold sweat was coating my face. Screwing up all the defiance I had in me, I put my hand down and took another crate from him. "I told you," I whispered icily. "I'm fine."

He shrugged, knowing that it was no use arguing with me. He had learned that lesson a long time ago the hard way.

An hour later, after we had loaded all of the supplies on board, we set off again. It was mine, Dylan, and Fang's night for watch, so Dylan took first watch like he was supposed to.

At midnight, I took my watch. As Dylan and I switched, he didn't say anything, but I could read the look in his clear blue eyes that said he was pissed off and confused about our little "love triangle."

_You ain't the only one, buddy, _I thought as I sat down in one of the comfy revolving built-in armchairs after Dylan had left. This romantic disaster certainly hadn't been easy on me. Between the constant heartache and the constant headache, I was about ready to take a flying leap off the Empire State Building. With my wings tucked _in._

I reached over to the computer and pulled up iTunes. I scrolled along the sidebar looking for a playlist that sounded good. (Nudge had loaded all of our favorite songs, artists, and albums onto the computer when we had first gotten onto the boat.)

One in particular caught my eye. It was labeled, "Fang/Max Playlist." Feeling curious, I clicked on it. A long, lengthy list of songs came up, with artists ranging from Paramore (my personal favorite band) to Bon Jovi (another one of my favorites) to Taylor Swift (she was okay, I guess) to some singer I'd never heard of called Rob Thomas. In between each song was an unknown track that had a date written on it. They were all the same: April 20. That had been two months ago. Right after Fang had left. But the closer I got to the bottom, some of the tracks had dates that were just after we had escaped Paris.

My eyebrows knitted together. My curiosity was piqued, so I clicked on the first unknown track and made sure the volume was low.

"Is it on?" Nudge's voice asked.

"Yeah," Angel replied. There was a clicking sound like they were adjusting something. My heart hurt at the sound of Angel's voice.

"Oh," Nudge said, "all right. Hey, whoever's listening to this! You're probably Max or Fang. Most likely Max, since she's prone to doing things without thinking them through—"

Angel coughed meaningfully.

"Right," Nudge continued, getting back on topic. "So, this is our Fax playlist. Angel and I have compiled list of songs that have special meaning to Max and Fang's relationship. And you will _not_ believe how long that took."

"And before we begin," Angel continued, "I just want to clarify something about this playlist. Once you click play, like you already have, it automatically locks. You can't skip a song or go back to the previous one. You can't get out of this playlist until you have finished the entire thing. We have Nudge to thank for that, since she has insane hacking skills."

Nudge laughed. I guessed at that at that moment of time she did her famous double peace sign and enormous evil grin that made you want to kick her butt into the middle of next month.

"So," Nudge said, "without further ado, we give you the first song on the playlist, called 'Over and Over.' It's by Three Days Grace. This song is, like, the _ultimate _theme for Max and Fang. It totally fits them."

The track ended and the song began to play. It began with a soft guitar, then violins added, and then the singer, a guy with a soft-metal sound, added his voice to the track followed closely by the drums.

I listened hard to the lyrics. Oddly enough, they _did_ fit mine and Fang's earlier relationship perfectly. I felt tears prick at my eyes but I blinked them back furiously. During the bridge of the song, the guy sang about how he couldn't stop thinking about the one he loved, how he tried to live without her but couldn't, and how he knew they were bad for each other but loved each other anyway.

Tears streaked down my face. Holy shit. How did Angel and Nudge come up with this? I could hardly admit to myself that Fang and I were in love at the time, let alone find a couple song.

When the song ended, I wished that I could go back and hear it again. The lyrics fit me and Fang so perfectly it was scary. I had known the song for forever, because I was a _huge_ Three Days Grace fan. But I had hardly had time to pay attention to the lyrics. Now that I had, I realized how dumb I'd been not to notice it in the first place.

Nudge and Angel's voices came back on after the song ended.

"This next song is by Paramore," Angel said. "It's called, 'That's What You Get.' We think it's awesome for Max and Fang because Max's heart is always winning over her logic (or at least her view of it), and her being with Fang is no exception, at least in her mind."

As the song began to play, my legs began to feel weak. I felt cold and shivery, like I had a fever. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Angel's voice whispered in my head, _Help me._

I sat bolt-upright, but that didn't go so well with my stomach, which growled like it didn't want me to do anything major. _Angel?_ I thought, hoping, praying she'd hear me.

But I didn't get an answer. I sighed heavily and leaned back against the chair again. Maybe it was just my imagination.

For the next couple of hours, I listened to the playlist. I didn't even make a dent in the amount of songs. There had to be at least two hundred and fifty on the playlist, and I had listened to maybe thirty of them.

Finally, at four, Fang came and took his watch. I had stopped the music due to what I called a "lyrical comma," where you get so sick of listening to the lyrics of music that you end up throwing your iPod halfway across the room in extreme cases.

I tried to avoid having Fang notice the tears that were still streaking down my face but failed spectacularly when he said, "What's wrong?" for the second time that night.

I scowled and looked away, wiping away the tears furiously with my sleeve. "It's nothing. Just some stuff."

"You're still pale," he pointed out, much to my frustration. "Are you sure you're not sick?"

My anger snapped. "Why are you suddenly giving a crap about what happens to me?" I whisper-yelled.

Fang flinched, like the memory of him leaving that second time was still fresh in his mind, which I was going to make sure it was. "I've always cared about what happens to you, Max," he said mildly. "Whether you notice it or not is your choice."

I was practically shooting sparks from my eyes. "Oh you do?" I said sarcastically. "If you cared, you wouldn't have left those times."

Fang sighed and shook his head. "Arguing will get us nowhere," he muttered, almost to himself.

It was silent for a few moments.

"Then tell me what happened five years ago," I murmured. "Fang, whatever happened, I have the worst feeling that it had something to do with Selene's death."

For a few moments, he just stared at me. Then he turned away and shut his eyes tightly. Feeling bolder than usual, I reached out and touched his shoulder gently.

"Please Fang," I whispered. "I need to know."

He opened his eyes and turned to me. I nearly fell over from shock from what I saw.

You see, the thing with Fang is that he _never_ shows emotion. Like, _ever_. And right now, his dark, midnight eyes were swimming with emotions. I saw anger, guilt, frustration, and helplessness among others. I could practically see the walls he'd built over the years to keep himself at a distance crumbling before my eyes.

"Fine," he whispered. "You might want to sit down. It's a really long story."

I took a seat on one of the revolving chairs and pulled my knees to my chest. I locked eyes with Fang, my way of saying without speaking that he had my full and undivided attention.

He sighed and sat down as well in another chair. He looked at his feet, like he was thinking of how to tell the tale.

After a few moments of silence, Fang said, "Five years ago, about a month before we were set to get out of the School, I heard a couple of whitecoats talking. They wanted to send a mutant either into the Arena or the School Yard.

"I still remember that mutant's ID," he continued. "M15876." He looked up at me, and my eyes widened.

"Me," I breathed. My heart began to beat faster and my breathing became shallower.

He nodded. "I couldn't let you die," he said. "By then I had already… developed somewhat of a crush on you." I blushed bright red and for some reason couldn't meet his eyes. "But even if I hadn't, I couldn't let you die. My emotions took control of me, and I spoke out of turn."

"What did you tell the whitecoats?" I asked breathlessly.

Fang did his famous half-smirk. "I told them that if they laid a hand on you I'd murder them. I also told them to go to hell." He chuckled, like this was somewhat funny. I, however, didn't crack a smile. "They got pissed off at me, but didn't do anything." He paused. "Until the next day, that is.

"This is the part where I have to make you promise me something," he said earnestly. "Promise me that you won't interrupt, no matter what I say."

I frowned. This couldn't be good if he was making me keep my mouth shut. Reluctantly, I murmured, "I promise."

"Thank you," Fang said. "Now, the whitecoats took me to an interrogation room. They told me that I had been stupid to speak out of turn. They also told me that I had limited options.

"First, they told me that I could keep my mouth shut and you would still be sent to be killed. And second, they said you would live, but at a cost to me." He paused and took a deep breath, like this was the hardest part of the story.

"What cost?" I asked. I felt like I couldn't breathe from the suspense.

"They told me," Fang continued, "that you would live if I did everything that they said and complied with their terms. They wanted me to be their set of eyes."

My heart was beating faster than I ever remember it beating. What did he mean? He didn't mean that…?

"I chose the second option," he told me. "I couldn't lose you, no matter what it cost me."

I was silent for a moment. "What do you mean that the School wanted you to be their 'set of eyes?'" I was fairly certain I knew what it meant, but I had to be certain.

Fang looked up at me. The look of guilt on his face was so profound that it was as bad as if he'd said it out loud. "I'm sorry Max," he whispered. "I did what I had to do to keep you alive." He hung his head like he expected me to beat him, like a child who had run away.

He was silent for a few minutes, like he was working up the courage to say what I thought was now true.

"Max," Fang whispered, looking up. "Angel was never the traitor. I was. I was the spy."

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><p><strong>Oh yes I did.<strong>

**-A$h**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: Insert witty disclaimer here.**

**Claimer: I own the plot. (And now you know why.)**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 16<span>

I felt like I was about ready to pass out. My vision blurred together and I couldn't make anything out. The room started spinning faster and faster around me, making shapes indistinct. My heart was beating faster and faster. My breathing was shallow and quick.

I think I really did pass out, because the next thing I knew, Fang was shaking my shoulders saying, "Max! Max wake up! Max!" The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was the clock, which blinked down at me in bright red that it was four-twenty.

"How long was I out?" I asked wearily.

"About five minutes," he replied, his voice softer than I could ever remember it being.

It took me a moment to remember why I had fainted. When I finally did, I felt hot tears of anger spring to my eyes. He had to be joking. He had played practical jokes on me loads of times, and some of them had been really mean. One time, when we were ten, he'd put a fake snake in my bed while I was sleeping. Another time, when I was twelve, he had locked me out of the house in the middle of a major thunderstorm for three hours. But he'd never played this sort of prank. He knew I didn't fall for anything easily.

But right now he seemed earnest, like this was the biggest secret he'd ever told in his life. He seemed really guilty, like this had taken up a lot of his thoughts for a really long time.

Suddenly, I remembered a thought I'd had what seemed like several lifetimes ago. _What if we _weren't _all on the same team?_ I remembered thinking it the same day that Ari had attacked Fang, after thinking about the stinking School.

_Wait, _I thought, confused. _He can't be a traitor. The School found us through the chip. _For those of you not in the loop, the chip I just mentioned used to be in my arm, but I had had my mom take it out just before the School had recaptured us.

"Fang," I whispered, "you _can't _have been a spy. The School found us through the chip in my arm, remember?"

Fang looked at me sadly, his dark eyes expressing pity. "No, Max," he said. "The chip was a way of monitoring you from a distance. Heart rate and the like. But think about it Max. Who was there all the times that the Erasers or Flyboys or M-Geeks found us? Remember when Ari joined up with us? You weren't attacked by Flyboys. Iggy, Gazzy, and I were."

I held my head, which was pounding furiously. This made some sense, but most of it didn't. "I… I don't u-understand," I stammered. "None of this adds up. Why would they go after you if you were their ally?"

"I think it would be best if I told you the _whole _story," Fang said slowly. "But most of it you wouldn't like."

He helped me back into my chair, since my knees were weak and I was having enough trouble getting my neurons to fire. As soon as he was sure I was comfortable, he started his story.

"After I'd chosen to become their spy," Fang said, his voice quiet, "they knew they'd need another mutant to toss into the School Yard. And you and I both know the mutant they sent."

I nodded slowly as I said knowingly, "Selene."

Fang nodded and continued, "It was my fault that she died. But at the same time, I knew that if you had died, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself. It's one of the regrets that I've had to come to terms with over the last five years." He looked out of the window with the greatest look of sorrow that I felt my heart grow heavy. "But then we got out of the School. I thought I was free.

"But I was wrong," he continued darkly. "About a week after we made it to the E-house they contacted me. I still had to keep them in the loop, keep my eye on you guys. They wanted to know how well you guys were doing out there.

"They knew I'd try to get out of it somehow, so they threatened me. They said that if I failed to give them information on a weekly basis, they'd kill you, Max. Not anyone else in the flock, but _you._ They knew that if they killed you I would lose everything I had." He put his head in his hands for a moment, and then looked up at me. "They knew it would break me. That I would lose my will to live.

"So I kept giving them information. If one of you so much as had a _cold_ they knew. I kept it up for two years." He paused. "And then Jeb disappeared. I knew that the School had contacted him. I knew that he was alive. But I had to keep acting like I had no idea what was going on. I was on strict orders that if I gave anything away you'd be killed.

"Two years passed without incident. I kept them informed of what went on. They knew that you were the leader." He did his famous half-smirk. "That was the reason I never accepted the role of leader, like you suggested. They wanted you to lead the flock. To lead us." He frowned. "And then Angel got kidnapped.

"You see, when I became a spy, I was given my own unit of Erasers to command. I never really had any use for them. So when the Erasers showed up and took Angel, I thought that someone had given my unit a false command under 'my' orders. But I was wrong. They were Ari's unit. I knew that Ari had become an Eraser, I just didn't know that he'd become a commander.

"I thought that maybe I had done something wrong to make them take her. But not long after they gave me a message that said it was all planned out. That this was a way to lure you back to the School—the one place you swore you'd never go back to ever again. They needed a way to get you to come back, and someone to convince you to do it."

"They needed you to lead me to the School," I whispered, staring right at him. "The map from Jeb's files… You knew the whole time…"

Fang nodded sadly. "Yes. I was told that there was a map leading to the School among some of the files that Jeb had left at the house. That was how I knew to look at Jeb's stuff. However, I disobeyed my orders.

"I was told to bring you directly to the School and that the entire flock was needed. But you were so _stubborn_. You told Gazzy and Iggy to stay behind. So I… _accidentally _let it slip to Gaz and Ig where we would meet if things went wrong—Lake Mead. What I didn't know was that your testing would begin even before we'd reached the School.

"That was when things started to go wrong. You saw your first test barely a day after we'd set off. I had no idea that you were being tested, so I tried to keep to the command—bring you to the School alive and on time. And again, you were stubborn and persistent."

"Ella…" I murmured. "Ella… was my first test?"

He nodded again. "Yes. The guys who were beating her up were agents of Itex. Their job, as I found out later, was to lure you down to see how well you could fight in a certain scenario—as in without your wings. From what I heard, you did very well. Until you got yourself shot." I blushed with embarrassment, remembering the day vividly. "Doctor Martinez was also an agent of Itex for a while. Her orders were to take care of you if things went wrong. Which she has been doing for quite some time, I might add."

"Wait," I muttered, holding up a hand. "You're saying that… Mom… but… the DG…"

Fang shook his head. "That's for later. But Doctor Valencia Martinez isn't your mother, Max. You yourself once said to me that you looked nothing like her. Jeb isn't your dad either." He sighed. "I think that's your greatest strength—being observant."

"Then who…?" I wondered out loud.

"I don't know," he told me, his tone earnest. "They never told me anything. All that I know is that they aren't your parents." I nodded, staring at the floor with fake interest. So I was once again an orphan who knew nothing of her heritage. Ella wasn't my sister. Ari wasn't my brother. So what was I doing on a rescue mission?

_**Because you care, **_the Voice whispered hauntingly in the back of my mind. I scowled even though it was right.

Before Fang could get another word in, Total appeared at the top of the steps that led belowdecks. "You guys need to get down here," he said. Something about his voice struck a chord of fear into my heart. "You _have_ to see this. Oh, and by the way, I heard every word. So did Ratchet. Once you get done telling Max you should tell everyone else. They'll want to know."

Fang nodded, showing no signs of emotion. We followed Total down the stairs into the room next to the galley and eating area where there were a couple of couches and armchairs. On the TV was a news station that was showing horribly graphic images of San Francisco, which appeared to be on fire.

"—the worst natural disaster to hit the city since the earthquake of 1906," a female reporter with perfectly curled auburn hair said into her microphone. The wind picked up around her, tossing her hair around. "We are uncertain of the amount of devastation this will cause, but it is estimated that it will cost two point nine billion dollars in damage. However, the cost of human life will remain uncertain until firefighters can put out the blaze."

"What happened?" I asked Nudge.

Her brown eyes were wide with shock, fear, and worry. "It was an earthquake," she replied weakly. "Kate was watching the news when this came up. It was a nine point seven on the Richter scale. It ruptured all of the gas lines in the city, which is why there's a fire going on. A helicopter shot video of the Golden Gate Bridge being ripped in half." She put her head in her hands. "It's just terrible, Max."

I put a hand on her shoulder, mostly to comfort her but also to steady myself. I could imagine being in the city, with the earth shaking beneath my feet and buildings coming down around me. I could see the sparks of the fire beginning, spreading its destructive fingers to every corner of the city.

"These sort of things just don't happen," Kate whispered, her hand over her mouth.

I shook my head. "These things do happen. Just like how we all had our DNA torn apart and altered."

"We have a seismologist on the phone with us right now," said the reporter. "Now, Dr. Weber, can you tell us when this earthquake began?"

"We know that the earthquake began at approximately one-fifteen in the morning, Barbara," said Dr. Weber, whose voice sounded tinny and crackled. "It lasted about five and a half minutes."

"And where is the epicenter?" she asked. "Or are you unable to tell us that at the current time?"

"We've been able to figure out," said Dr. Weber, "that the epicenter is right in the middle of the bay, which probably is what caused the bridges to collapse. We don't know exactly where in the bay, but we assume it might be closest to the Golden Gate Bridge."

The reporter nodded, frowning. Before we could hear anything else, Holden pressed the mute button.

All of us were silent. This was just plain awful. But one thought still stuck out in my mind though the images of the fire burning against the midnight sky in San Francisco:  
>The earthquake had occurred right when I had fainted. Had I somehow sensed what was about to happen? After all, animals could sense if something like that were about to happen. Had the animal in me sensed what was happening thousands of miles away?<p>

_But then the rest of the flock would have sensed it too,_ I thought. _But they didn't. Is my DNA more sensitive to that kind of thing? Or is there more going on?_

I would find out soon enough.

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><p><strong>Early stages of writing this particular chapter involved the tsunami mentioned in the full summary. (See my profile or the first chapter if you're curious.) But then I was like, "Pfft, let's make 'em wait a few more. Build up the suspense." So I'm like, "Hell yeah! Earthquake!" As for the whole time thing, I'm guessing that Venezuela is about four hours ahead of California time, so that's why it's the "same time" Max fainted.<strong>

**I owe an apology to anyone living in San Francisco and the Bay Area for destroying your lovely city. (San Fran is one of my favorite places in California.) But it's your own fault for building it in an earthquake-prone area and not structurally reinforcing your buildings. **

**And as for Fang's betrayal… Well… It's been an idea of mine for quite some time. (We're talking since late 2010.) But if you read the books there is plenty of evidence to support it. (Just read between the lines.) Also, there's a new poll on my profile concerning this fic. (The question: Max will develop a power. What do you think it's going to be?) Vote people!**

**Remember to review! (Sorry for the long A/N!)**

**-A$h**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I think we all know by now that I'm not James Patterson.**

**Claimer: I own the plot. (Even more so now than ever before.)**

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><p><span>Chapter 17<span>

"Come, Angel," said the man.

Angel walked as fast as she could after the man, but it was difficult, especially when her right leg hadn't healing quite right when she was in the hospital at the base. She was still walking with a limp.

The man led her down several flights of stairs. Angel guessed that they had to be several hundred feet below the ground. She felt twitchy and claustrophobic in the small stairwell, which was dimly lit by bare light bulbs on every flight.

_Where is he taking me?_ Angel wondered as they walked down three more flights of stairs. She became aware of the feeling that the walls were closing in on her, crushing her, taking the air out of her lungs…

She blinked. It was just her imagination. Then she remembered that she, like the rest of the flock, was very much claustrophobic. It had become very hard to remember things prior to the explosion these days.

Finally, they reached the very bottom of the stairwell. A single light bulb protruded out of the wall above the door, giving the painted brick walls an eerie, macabre aura.

"This is probably our greatest achievement, Angel," said the man, gesturing at the door. He was probably talking about what was behind the door. "With it, we will destroy the entire human race and the One Light will rule over us all. The Earth will be cleansed. There will be no more reason for war. Crime will cease to exist. We will start with a clean slate."

Angel wondered what he was talking about. Absently, she noticed that the door lacked a doorknob or any keypad to open it. "Um… sir?" she whispered meekly. "How do you open the door?"

The man turned to her and laughed. It sounded oddly loud in the silent stairwell and echoed along the brick walls. "With magic, of course," he answered. "It's a relatively simple spell." He turned away from her, facing the door, and raised his hand. "_A-qâl,_" he said in the Language of the Souls. Angel knew enough of the language to know that it meant _open_.

The outline of the door glowed blindingly white and it swung towards them on its hinges. The man gestured for Angel to go through first.

When she walked in, she was hit with a blast of horribly cold air, like if you walked inside of a museum or what she imagined a tomb would be like. But instead of it being deathly quiet, it was as noisy as New York City had been.

Mutants were chiseling rock away from the walls and making enormous stone slabs out of it. Some of the other mutants were placing the slabs onto a structure that looked like the pyramids Angel had seen when the flock had visited the Yucatan a few months earlier.

"Isn't it magnificent?" the man marveled. "It is, of course, designed after the great Atlantian temples of old. The priests and priestesses of the Atlantian Empire were the greatest of spell casters and created modern spell casting. The most famous was, of course, Grencarda, who discovered the Divine Order.

"They beheld great power," the man continued. "The Mayans, Egyptians, Aztecs, and Incans were the daughter civilizations of Atlantis. They were the last remnants of the Empire. But only the Mayans survived to pass on the greatest legend: the One Light. Before the Spanish conquistadors discovered the New World, the Mayans realized that their highest of priestesses could control the world around her. She could manipulate the elements at her will.

"However, her name has long since been lost to history. And powers like her's came a high price. If her emotions became too strong, violent storms and weather patterns would occur all across the globe. It is told that during one particularly bad bout of sorrow, she predicted the End of Days; whether she possessed the Sight is unknown, though. The Mayans became so frightened by this prediction that they fled their cities.

"But only the priestess remained. She wrote down the visions in a codex, one of only four that remain today. It is known today as the Dresden Codex." He sighed. "It makes my heart grow heavy that the missionaries the conquistadors brought with them would destroy such vast knowledge. But the priestess made it out alive. She fled to the Inca civilization, who gave her a boat. She made it to an island which her people had built a monument on not long earlier. It is believed that she died there. Nothing more is known about the One Light, as she came to be known."

_So that's what the One Light is,_ Angel thought. _An ancient priestess who predicted the end of the world._

"That's why we are building this temple," the man told her. "When the End of Days is upon us, we shall transport the temple—with magic of my own invention, of course—to the island where the priestess died. Then the One Light will bring the world into the New Age."

Angel thought about this. If what the man was saying was true, then the One Light was dead. Why was he talking about her in present tense?

The man smiled down at her. "You are unsure? I can understand why. You see, the One Light has been reincarnated so many times it's impossible to tell when her first life really was. However, she has only been given her powers four times: once during the great Mother Civilization, during the Last Age of Egypt, during the Final Age of the Maya, and, of course, now, the end of the Old Age. Though it was quite a long time ago that she was reborn."

Thinking about this, Angel asked, "Sir? Am… am _I_ the One Light?"

He laughed. "You? _You?_ No, Angel. You are not the One Light. You lack the power. The One Light is the most powerful being in the entire universe—and always a female, too. She was born about sixteen or seventeen years ago from what we know. But what we lack is her location. We must bring her here before the End of Days, which will occur in a little over two years. I'm hoping that, with a little time, we will be able to locate her and bring her here."

Silently, Angel worried for the One Light. "Sir, don't most people say that the One Light will show them 'how to become less and how to become more?'"

The man nodded. "Yes. You see, the One Light, during every life, has always been up-to-date with the latest scientific and paranormal discoveries. The One Light is now a mutant. In this case the very first."

It didn't take much for Angel to put two and two together; after all, she was smarter than any child her age.

She now knew who the One Light was.

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><p><strong>There is a lot of backstory in here. It's going to be important later, especially when everything is finally revealed!<strong>

**You know the light bulb I mentioned that was fixed above the door that they opened with magic? My brother joked and said that it was the One Light. *bad humor drum sound* Anyway… Who do you think the One Light is? And go on my profile and vote on my new poll! (On Max's power.)Remember to review!**

**-A$h**


	18. Chapter 18

**I suppose I _do _owe you guys an update after disappearing for two months. :s Blame school. But I'm not kidding when I say that I've been up to my knees in homework and Academic Team stuff. (They put me on the A-team, so I've had a Brain Brawl, like, every other weekend.)**

**In other news, I'm having the _worst _week known to man. (Even the dinosaurs didn't have this bad of a week when that asteroid hit the Earth.) First, I found out Senior Chief (the best ROTC teacher in the history of teachers) might retire this year. :'( I was supposed to have him junior year… Then this guy who is my BEST friend ever sort-of asked me on a date… And I've sworn that I wouldn't go out with him because he's got it _bad_ for me (according to everyone else I know) and I only like him as a friend. (I couldn't say no because I don't want to hurt him.) And then when I was taking down the flags at my school there was a spider _right _where the rope was. (Second day in a row that's happened!)**

**Sorry for the rant. Now on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I'm not gonna go there with these anymore.**

**Claimer: I think we all know I own the plotline by now.**

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><p><span>Chapter 18<span>

After watching the newscast about the San Francisco earthquake, all of us stayed awake because none of us seemed capable of sleep after witnessing the terrifying images of the city burning.

"So what were you and Fang talking about?" Kate asked as I pulled on a navy blue sweatshirt over my black tank top. All of us girls were in our cabin, sitting around and talking quietly.

I gave a start, but ignored it. _I can't believe he would do that to me,_ I thought mournfully. "It's really nothing," I said casually.

She frowned and studied me. I knew she could tell I was lying, but she didn't say anything about it.

Before anyone could say anything else, I seized up, like I had back in Ireland. It felt once again like a bucket of ice water being poured over my head. I gasped and distantly felt my body fall to the floor with a dull _thud_. I dimly heard Kate scream for help.

I was pulled through a black vortex, floating through the endless vastness of space. I saw the stars burning like bright balls of fire, some were close and others were farther away. Suddenly, after a while of floating through space, I was being pulled into a black hole. I tried to scream, but I found that I couldn't make any noise.

Then I was in a small, bare room. I didn't know where I was, but it was horribly cold. Angel, dressed in a black kimono, was sitting cross-legged on a small cot with taught white sheets.

"Max!" she cried. "I _knew _you were alive!"

"Angel," I gasped as she ran over and threw herself into my arms. I smiled and, to my horror, felt tears spill down my cheeks.

She pulled away and smiled up at me, her own eyes shiny with tears. "Where are you?" she asked.

"Off the coast Venezuela," I answered. "Where are you?"

"I don't know," she replied, her voice resigned. "They never let me outside. But Max, you have to control your emotions!"

My eyebrows crinkled together. "What do you mean?"

"Just trust me," Angel said, grabbing my hands. "If you don't control your emotions, bad things are going to start happening. I already know about the earthquake in San Francisco. But you have to trust me when I say that if you don't control yourself things are going to get a lot worse. And whatever you do, don't come looking for me."

"Why?" I cried. "Angel, if you're alive, I have to find you. Gazzy hasn't been himself since you disappeared. Fang blames himself for what happened in Paris. It'll set things right. I'll find you after we get Ella back."

She shook her head furiously. "You don't understand, Max! Nothing is as it seems. I'm the bait!"

I wanted to ask her what she meant, but suddenly I was thrown backwards. "No!" Angel screamed. "Max!"

I blinked. I was on the floor of the girls' cabin. Everyone was staring down at me worriedly. "No!" I screamed. I thrashed around, but found that I couldn't move very far. Several someones were holding me down.

"Max!" Fang said firmly. "Calm down." He and Dylan were holding down my arms, preventing me from tossing and turning. They were gripping my arms hard, and with their combined strength I knew that I'd have bruises later. Ratchet and Mike were holding down my legs and Nudge was dabbing a wet cloth on my face. I felt sick and feverish, like I had come down with the flu. I felt tears streaking down my face, much like they had in the vision. I immediately stopped thrashing around.

"Was it like before?" Total asked, trotting up to me.

Dylan helped me sit up and he, Fang, Mike, and Ratchet let go of my limbs. I reached out and scratched Total behind his ears, the way he liked. "Sort of," I murmured. "This time I talked to her."

Fang glared at me. "You mean that this has happened before? Why didn't you tell me?"

I frowned at him. Behind him, the porthole showed the sun creeping up on the horizon. It was dawn. "There wasn't time to tell you," I whispered. "And besides, I thought it was just a one-time thing. Guess I was wrong."

His face was emotionless as he studied my face. Hastily, I wiped the tears away with my sleeve. "You said you talked to someone," Fang said. "Who did you talk to?"

I pulled Total into my lap, where he lay tiredly. "The last time this happened, when we were in Ireland," I explained, "I had just woken up and I seized up, like I did this time. It was like I was being pulled into a black hole, I imagine. Then I was at this lab or hospital. Angel was on one of the cots. She looked awful. All she said was my name and then I got thrown backwards by… just nothing." I blinked, trying to think of what could have done it. "Then I woke up."

"So this time you talked to Angel," Gazzy said hopefully. "What did she say?"

I looked down, unable to face him. Poor Gazzy. What would he say when I told him that she hadn't mentioned him at all. "She… she told me to control my emotions. And that if I didn't bad things were going to start to happen. She said she knows about the earthquake. I… I think she thinks that somehow I'm connected to it. And… she told me not to go looking for her. That she's the bait." _Nothing is as it seems,_ she'd said. If only she knew how right she was, now that I knew about Fang's past.

Gazzy looked like he was about ready to start crying. I felt so bad for him. His sister was alive and she didn't want him to go looking for her. I could hardly imagine what was going through his mind. "Come here," I said, holding out my arms. He shuffled over and hugged me. I held him tightly, wishing I could take away his pain.

"But since when have I ever been one to listen," I told whispered in his ear. "Any of us." My voice was louder now. "After we find Ella, we're going to find her. I don't care what she told me. I don't care if she'd furious with me for the rest of her life for finding her. We're going to get her back, Gazzy. I swear on my life that we will."

"Count us in," Maya said, standing tall. I stared at her in shock. "We'll stay with you guys until we find her."

Gazzy looked at me and gave a watery smile. I smiled back. "Thank you," I said to her. "I can't tell you how much that means to me. To all of us."

I held out my right fist. Fang gave a half-smile and put his fist on top of mine. After a few moments, everybody stacked their hands. Total lifted his paw and put it underneath my hand.

_You know what you have to do,_ the Voice murmured distantly.

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><p><strong>So, since I haven't gotten the chance, to all you people who think Max is the One Light: she wasn't the first mutant. The dude in the previous chapter said that the One Light was the first mutant. So anyone wanna rethink their statement as to who the One Light is? (Or could I possibly be trolling you?)<strong>

**Now please don't kill me for what I'm about to say next… I've got a new OTP… It's a crossover pairing… Back story: So I've recently become re-obsessed with Teen Titans (don't judge me) and I thought about writing a TT/MR crossover. Then I thought about doing something out of the ordinary: Max/Cyborg. I thought, _You know, no one ever pairs Cyborg with anyone, so screw it. _Yes, I am now a complete fangirl for that pairing now. Sorry Fang… (Forever alone…) They're PERFECT for each other though. (At least I think so…)**

**The next chapter should be up in about two weeks, when I'm on spring break. (And watching _The Hunger Games _over and over with my friend Nailuj. Yes that is her real name.)**

**So remember to review! (If you aren't still mad at me for not updating and my new fave pairing…)**

**~A$h**


	19. Chapter 19

**I know I promised this chapter on Monday (for those of you who are fans of my Facebook page this is old information). But I have a good excuse. On Monday I was having computer issues and I couldn't get onto the Internet. Then my twin sister (who edits my chapters and is my co-author on occasion) and I stayed up all night editing this chapter because trust me, this one was hard to write for. (I had _no_ ideas whatsoever.) Then Tuesday we spent all day sleeping so neither of us could update it. And then yesterday I was working on something for my ROTC unit. (More on that later, though.)**

**Disclaimer: Nowhere on anything I own does it say that I'm James Patterson so I don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Claimer: I own the plotline for this story idea however. And Charlie, who is briefly mentioned in this chapter.**

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><p><span>Chapter 19<span>

Later that day, Fang told Max the rest of his story.

It was painful, having to recall memories that he'd much rather forget. The guilt he'd felt for the last five years about Selene's death bubbled up inside of him and threatened to control him. He knew that Max knew that he knew that he hadn't done it for personal gain or the wrong reasons. He'd had very good intentions when he'd agreed to become the School's spy. But, as it often was the case, even something done with the best intentions could be the wrong thing to do.

He told her how he'd been at fault for everything, giving away their location in order to protect them. He recalled how, after they'd been recaptured by the School that first time, the whitecoats took him aside and told him of her destiny, and how he had to protect her from outside forces. That had been why he'd been created, according to the whitecoats.

He even told her what he knew of her brain attacks.

"All I know," he said, holding his head in his hands, "is that someone was behind them. Someone who was controlling the entire operation. They had their hands in everything—the School, Itex, Chu Corporation, the Doomsday Group. This person knows everything about us. They somehow accessed your mind and now they can control it. I don't know who it is and I don't know where they are."

The more Fang explained his story, the more and more Max seemed to understand everything they'd been through.

When he explained why he had suggested finding a deserted island, she looked like she might faint. "I had to protect you from the School," he explained. "From your destiny. I had to keep you safe."

By the time lunch was ready, Fang was half-way done with telling his story. He had already told her how he'd turned his back on the School by the time they reached Anne Walker's house, and that was why he had been injured by Ari. They had been sent to kill him for knowing too much and for betraying those he was supposed to be loyal to.

Fang started explaining to her how he'd been contacted by several of their old enemies who had tried to gain favor with him by promising to protect her and the flock. "By that time," he told Max, "Angel had turned on us. She was the one supplying them with the information. They had gotten to her when you sent her to spy at the School. They promised her power. They told her that she'd rule the world as queen, as long as she helped them destroy everything that already existed."

He detailed how Mr. Chu and Dr. Hans had tried to use him when he and Max had gotten together to use her.

The most painful part was the months when they were dating, he told her.

"They were keeping an eye on me," Fang explained. "They were looking for an opportunity to kill me. They knew I'd gone rogue, that I didn't want anything to do with them anymore. They felt that I knew too much, and that I had to be disposed of."

"But how?" Max asked. "I know Angel was a spy, but even she didn't know everything."

Fang looked her straight in the eyes. "Jeb always taught us not to trust people, Max. But what he never told us was that the most dangerous people, the people you should _never_ trust under any circumstance, are the ones closest to you."

Max's brown eyes went wide. "You started giving them information again."

"No," Fang said. "But they sent a spy. Someone they felt could get close to you, and therefore me."

Max thought for a moment. "Dylan," she realized. "You mean that Dylan was a spy?"

He nodded. "You really think that they cared enough about you to send you someone who was 'your perfect other half?' They wanted you dead, and the only way to get to you was to seduce you."

She scoffed, crossed her arms, and leaned back in her chair. "No wonder I didn't trust him. Geez, talk about sleeping with the enemy."

That expression had Fang worried, but he shook it off and said, "He used to be a spy, but then, like me, his feelings got in the way of what he was doing. You and I both know when he decided what side he was on."

The dark look in Max's eyes told him that she knew. He told her why Dr. Hans had captured him. He explained how, because he had betrayed his benefactors at the School, Dr. Hans was told that he needed to be eliminated. Which was why he had been "killed" almost three months earlier. He noted that this was when Dylan had changed sides, and that he had figured out it was better to love than to betray the one who cared about you.

Then the worst part of the story came: Why he had had to leave Max, the love of his life.

"Barely a week after the incident, I was contacted by an anonymous benefactor of the School. He said that his name was Charlie. He told me that if I stayed with you, I would only end up getting you killed. He told me that… I had my own destiny. That I would be the one to stop a new evil that was forming all across the globe." He looked away. "He also told me that this evil would 'rally behind the one who frees the trapped souls.'"

Realization dawned on Max's face. "He told you about the Doomsday Group."

Fang nodded. "Somehow this guy knew. He knew about the DG and he knew about the One Light. And he swore that I'd be the cause of your death. I couldn't let that happen, so I left."

"Did you know anything else?" Max asked. "Was there any other information that you got?"

Fang shook his head. "If you're talking about Angel's disappearance, Max, I honestly have no idea. After I left I was kept in the dark. I received no information from anyone. I'm sorry."

Max nodded and was silent for a few moments. "So that's it? Everything that ever happened to us… was your doing?"

He hung his head. "It's my greatest regret. Angel and Selene… it was my fault. I've thought about all of this so much. If I hadn't stuck up for you, you'd have died and we wouldn't have escaped. We would have died in the School like all the other DNA experiments. And I couldn't let that happen to you and the flock."

Tears streaked down Max's face as she looked out of the porthole of the living room. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. She handed it to him and he opened it. It was a picture of a girl with a cat's ears and tail in a cage, staring out of a barred window. Fang noticed the details of the girl, the dark hair and golden eyes, were exactly like Selene's.

"Where did you find this?" he asked.

"At the facility where we found Mike," she explained. "I found it buried under some rubble. I kept it because… it reminded me of Selene."

Fang's brow knit together. "That's impossible. I drew this five years ago, right after we got out of the School. I thought it was destroyed when the Erasers burned down the E-house."

She stared at him. "But… that's not possible."

Fang stared at Max intensely. "Max, if there's one thing we've learned over the past year, it's that there is nothing that's impossible. There are no coincidences. Someone would have had to have gotten this picture out of the E-house. An Eraser. A whitecoat. Jeb."

"Or your contact," said a voice from behind Fang.

He turned and frowned. It was Dylan.

"How much did you hear?" Max asked, standing up. Her face was hard and emotionless.

"Enough to be able to blackmail him for the rest of his life," Dylan replied. His blue eyes were like ice. There was look on his face that Fang couldn't place, but it looked… dark. "You betrayed the flock."

Fang stood and glared at him. "I did what I had to do to keep them alive. And that's more than you've ever done for them in the short time you've known them."

"And yet Max is still in danger," Dylan replied scathingly. "You know what Charlie told you. If you stayed with Max she'd be dead within three months. It's been three. You're still here. If Charlie's right, which, according to what Dr. Hans told me, he _always _is, then she's only got days to live."

"Will you both stop talking about me like I'm not even here!" Max yelled. They ignored her.

"It sounds to me like you know this Charlie guy pretty well, Dylan," Fang growled. "Are you sure that you're still not spying for him? Or do you have a tracer chip implanted in your brain so he knows where you are and what you're doing? How do we know you're not leading him here to us?"

"At least I didn't go behind her back and kill someone she loved," Dylan shot back, his voice low and cold.

Fang's fists were at his side, clenching and unclenching. He wanted to punch Dylan right in the nose. He needed to break something. Preferably a bone in Dylan's body.

"Will you both just STOP?" Max shouted.

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><p><strong>I had fun with the argument. :) Hahaha that was the best thing to write. So I have this file for my drafts for my stories and I have a ton of drafts involving Charlie. Writing about his character was <em>amazing<em>. His back story is even more fun. (We'll learn more about him later in this story.)**

**Please review!**

**~A$h**


	20. Chapter 20

**I'm finally back after my three to four month hiatus! Let's get the ball rolling!**

**Disclaimer: I do not on Maximum Ride. Do I have to keep repeating myself?**

**Claimer: The plot is all mine. Mwahahaha!**

Chapter 20

I was _so_ angry at Dylan and Fang. Wait, no. I was _furious._ One month they're getting along just fine, but then next they're arguing again. It was enough to make me lose my temper, which I did.

"Will you both just STOP?" I yelled at the top of my lungs. Both of them stopped and stared at me. "I'm sick of both of you arguing over the stupidest things. Can't you two just get along for five minutes? I don't care what either of you did in the past." I paused, taking deep, calming breaths. After a few seconds of it I lowered my voice and spoke again. "Dylan, I trust Fang with my life. I'd give my life to save him and he'd do the same for me, regardless of what he's done. And Fang, I trust Dylan. Granted, not nearly as much as I trust you, but I would still give my life for him if the situation called for it."

Both men just stared at me like they'd seen a ghost.

Before either could say another word, or before I could go off on another tirade, Ratchet called from topside, "You better take a look at this, Max!"

All three of us glanced at each other, silently agreeing to continue this discussion later on at a better time. We ran up the stairs and were met with an impressive sight. Clouds had appeared right above us, and were swirling around in a roaring tempest. Lightning seared the dark, steel-grey sky and thunder boomed with impressive might.

"I thought the report said there wasn't supposed to be any storms," Dylan murmured.

I nodded. "I thought so too. But obviously they were wrong. How long does it go on for?"

Dylan appeared at the horizon in the south, the direction we were heading. "I… I can't see the end. It looks like it just keeps going for hundreds of miles. Doctor Hans once told me I could see up to three hundred miles away if I really tried. I'm trying my hardest, and I just can't see the end of this."

"Fang, where is the next port or sea-side town?" I asked. If anyone could remember where something was on a map from pure memory, he could.

"Not for another hundred miles or so," he replied, a calm look on his face. "The wind is in our favor, so we should be there by tomorrow evening."

I nodded grimly. Then I thought about all that Fang had told me. Could I ever trust him the same way I had before now that I knew about his past? And what about our relationship? Did I still feel the same way about him now that I had two months earlier, before he'd left me?

Later on, Fang decided to tell everyone what he'd told me. We both knew that they wouldn't be happy with it, but they deserved to know what had been going on behind their backs for the last five years.

It took a while for Fang to find the words. I knew it was difficult for him since he wasn't the most talkative person. But when he finally did, the flock stared at him like he carried a highly contagious disease. Iggy looked almost disgusted. I knew he was wondering how he could have been friends with the person responsible for the murder of the girl who practically raised us in the School.

Once Fang had finished telling them, there was an uncomfortable silence. We could easily hear the howling of the wind. The boat pitched and rocked violently from the waves. I knew that they were mulling over the information, wondering how to react accordingly, and asking themselves why he could have done this.

"That's it?" Star asked after a while. "That's what happened?"

Fang nodded and said, "Yes."

Star looked at me expectantly, like she wanted me to make the decision of throwing Fang out of the group or not. But I couldn't bring myself to do that. _I care about him too much,_ I thought bitterly. _They want me to kick him out, but I can't bring myself to be so cruel. I want to get rid of him, but then they'd think I'm a merciless tyrant._

My dilemma was becoming bleaker and bleaker by the second. My thoughts were as turbulent as the storm outside. The biggest question was: Could I really bring myself to kick my best friend out of my life forever?

"Well?" Iggy said, standing up. "What's the plan of action, boss?"

I blinked and stared at him. "Excuse me?"

Iggy stared right at me. His aim wasn't perfect (my nose), but it was still pretty damn good for a blind guy. "Are you going to kick him out or not?" he demanded. "I get that he's your best friend, and I get that you love him, but you have to think about what's best for us." He pointed at Fang angrily. "He betrayed us. He's the reason Selene is dead, that Angel is gone. You can't expect us to take that lightly. Hell, he's probably the reason I'm _blind_. I really think—"

"Iggy, shut up!" I said in my leaderly, no-nonsense tone. He blinked and stared at me in shock. "I get that you're mad about all of this. Believe me, I feel the same way. But that operation took place when we were eight. That was _two years_ before all of that happened. I understand you want revenge for Selene. I want that too. But don't take it out on Fang. He did what he had to do to keep us alive. Let me ask you this: what would you have done if you heard that I was going to die? Would you have let them kill me or would you tell them to go die in a hole?"

Iggy was gaping at me, like the rest of the flock and Fang's gang. After several minutes of silence, Iggy said, sounding defeated, "You're right. If it was me I wouldn't have let you die. I would have done the same thing if it meant keeping you guys alive." He looked at Fang. "I'm sorry, man. It's just Selene…" His voice broke. I knew how he felt. Selene had practically raised Fang, Iggy, and I from the moment we arrived at the School. She'd comforted me when I'd cried, encouraged Fang to take a stand against the whitecoats and Erasers, and managed to teach Iggy how to survive after the fateful operation that blinded him for the rest of his life.

"It's all right," Fang said quietly. "I get it. I feel the same way all the time."

There was a tone to his voice I didn't like. One of hopelessness and despair. He sounded resigned, like he knew that he was forever destined to regret his decisions. Feeling bold, I placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked at me and I gave him a small smile. _Just listen,_ I told, communicating only with my eyes, the way we always would. He gave a subtle nod.

"Listen you guys," I said, not removing my hand from Fang's shoulder. "I understand this is a lot to take in. But we've got to make the best of this. Fang did what he did to keep me alive. I know that if I were in that situation—if _any_ of us were going through that—we'd all make the same decisions. I understand that some of you are upset about this. Believe me when I say that I had a hard time dealing with it myself.

"And I know that you all want me to make a decision about whether he should stay or not. But the truth is I just can't make that decision. It's true that I care about your safety—and that's my number one concern. But I also care about Fang. And it would be a pretty sucky way to show it if I kicked him out just because he saved my life and I answered your pleads to kick him out.

"I know that things will be tough for a while, but I have a feeling that we can make things work for the time being. And right now our main focus needs to be finding Ella and then Angel. Then maybe we'll worry about all of this after we've saved the world."

I stopped, and they were silent for a few moments. Finally, they nodded, determined looks crossing their faces.

Through the silence and the howling of the storm, we all heard someone shouting. Ratchet sat up perfectly straight.

"How many?" I asked. We were only a quarter of a mile off shore. If they were enemies, they would have no problem getting to us. If they weren't enemies, then maybe they could provide shelter until the storm died down.

He closed his eyes in slight concentration. "Two," he whispered. "A man and a woman." He got up and peered out of one of the portholes. "The man has graying hair, blue eyes, and is wearing a polo shirt, khakis, and loafers. The woman is wearing jeans, a white dress shirt, jeans, and hiking boots. She has dark brown hair, the same color eyes, and tan skin."

Frowning, I walked up the stairs to the wheelhouse. I went to the steering and turned the boat to the right. Dylan and Fang were right behind me. "What the hell are you doing?" Dylan yelled. "You don't know if those people are dangerous or not! They could be DG!"

"I know they could be," I said tersely, wishing I knew how to steer a boat better. "And I know who they are."

"How?" Fang questioned. "You haven't even seen them yet!"

I stared at him. In the back of my mind I wondered why he hadn't told me his secret sooner. "You weren't there the day Doctor Martinez and Jeb disappeared." I didn't have to say anymore, because there was a flash of understanding in his dark, normally unreadable eyes.

Within a minute, we were at the shoreline. "Dylan, stay here! I don't want this boat moving an inch! And with this storm we need someone up here at all times." He nodded, a coldly determined look on his face. "Kate and Nudge," I shouted down the stairs, "get some blankets, the first aid kit, and something hot for them to drink."

"On it!" Nudge shouted back, though I couldn't see her.

"Fang, come with me," I said. He nodded and followed me out of the wheelhouse. Outside, it was a torrent of wind and rain. The wind whipped in every direction, tearing at my hair and feathers.

We leapt over the side and landed on the sand. Weird chunks of memory flashed through my mind. _A man and woman standing on a coastline. The woman crying over the body of another woman who looks just like her. A storm brewing overhead while a circular city is destroyed by a wall of water._

I blinked and kept walking. Fang shot me a look as if to say, _Are you all right?_ I nodded stiffly and looked straight ahead. The other two saw us and I saw relieved looks cross their dirty, bloodied faces.

"Max!" Doctor Martinez shouted. "Thank God you're here!" When we were close enough, she reached out to hug me. But then she saw my face.

"Get inside." I had to shout over the wind even though they were only a few feet away. "You're tired and injured." I took note of the scratches, some deep and some not, over their faces and arms.

Doctor Martinez nodded and walked towards the _Eagle_. However, Jeb just stood there looking between me and Fang. "You know," he murmured.

I nodded solemnly. I felt no need to talk. There was no reason to. He knew that I knew that he wasn't my father. He knew that I knew that Fang was the real traitor. I had all the information I needed for now.

_**No you don't,**_ the Voice said. _**You don't know where Angel is. You don't know who the One Light is. You don't know how you're going to save Ella once you get to the base.**_

___Screw you, Voice,_ I thought, suddenly feeling exhausted. _Right now all I need to worry about is this._

_ **Remember what Dylan said. Fang's contact said you had three months to live. Your three months are almost up. Start worrying about your flock and what will happen to them. Another thing to think about, Max, is who will take over if you die.**_

__I sighed as Fang, Jeb, and I walked towards the _Eagle_. Death was a regular concept for me. I had to face it every day. I'd faced every single stinking day while living at the School. I'd faced it when Selene died. When Ari had died too. I'd had to cope with it when Angel predicted that Fang would be the first to die, so long ago now that it seemed like lifetimes.

But actually dying? It was foreign. I knew that the flock and I had possible expiration dates. I knew that the DG was out for my blood. I knew that I'd made a lot of enemies throughout my many misadventures. I knew that one day I'd kick the bucket. (That was the only obvious part of my existence.) The idea that I only had a week or so to live? Out of mind.

_Fine,_ I thought quietly. _I'll think about it._

**-facedesk- I'm sooooo tired. I had a friend's fifteenth birthday party (her quince) on Saturday and I got home around 2 a.m. and then I slept until 11:30 in the morning. Translation? My inner clock is screwed up. -_- Check my profile if you want to know what I've been up to this summer thus far (other than playing Skyrim and no cable and internet).**

**Me: I gave Percy back to Annabeth and Camp Half Blood because he was starting to bore me. So I kidnapped Mako (Legend of Korra) in his stead!**

**Mako: This girl is nuts.**

**Fang: I've been with her for over two years. Trust me, you will not get used to it.**

**So please review! As always constructive criticism is accepted but flames are not. However, any flames will be used to burn pictures of my ex-boyfriends, Wickman, or any other people I hate. (And then maybe my AP Euro homework…) Update on Thursday!**

**~A$h**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: *insert witty disclaimer here that tells you I don't own Maximum Ride***

**Claimer: I will claim the plot as mine!**

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><p><span>Chapter 21<span>

I was in the girl's bathroom brushing my hair after a luxuriously hot shower, staring into the mirror. It was strange seeing my own reflection. (After all, being on the run for so much of my life I never really had time to care about appearances. I didn't have time for mirrors either.)

But now that I was taking the time to actually look into one, I realized how much older I looked compared to how I looked just a year earlier. I looked… more like a teenager and less like a kid. I could've easily passed as a seventeen-year-old with a little bit of effort.

My hair had long since grown out of its short haircut that I'd gotten in New York and now fell in long waves to my shoulder blades. It was no longer as blond as it had been a few years ago, and had changed to a dark gold streaked with lighter blond and brunette. My face was thinner and more angular. My neck was long and thin, my shoulders set back in a proud way. My nose, a feature I'd never really cared about, was small and perfectly straight. A few freckles dotted it, but they weren't as noticeable as they had been before. I'd filled into my figure. My waist was tiny, my hips rounder than they'd been a year ago.

I pulled my hair away from my neck and turned slightly, trying to see every angle of my neck. There was no expiration date. No black markings to indicate that my time was up like Ari.

_Why has Fang's contact slated me for death? _I wondered. I sighed and walked out of the bathroom to the galley, where Iggy and Maya were making lunch.

It had been two weeks since Doctor Martinez and Jeb had joined us. Since then, we'd learned that they'd been held at a Doomsday Group base in Japan. They couldn't remember much, but all they knew was that something big was going on at that particular base. Like, end of all humanity big.

It had also been three weeks since we'd set off. We were about five miles from Rio and Fang had said, given that it had stopped storming, we'd be there by five in the evening.

"Max," Mike said, waving me over, where he, Fang, and Holden were hunched over his computer.

"'Sup?" I said, peering over his shoulder. The screen was covered in plans, schematics, and cross-sections of a circular building.

"I found all of this on the DG's website," he explained. "It's all plans for the base where Ella is. From what I've been able to decipher, there's only one entrance if you don't take a submarine. I think you'll want to study these maps in order to make a plan on just how we're going to bust Ella out."

I nodded, studying the plans carefully. One showed security measures (cameras, traps, etc.) and another depicted the electrical layout of the place, among many others. "Print this stuff out," I told him. "I'll need all of it."

Mike nodded and typed in a command for the maps to print. Then he exited out of the screens after they'd printed and started to type in a command to deactivate the hack he had on the site. But something caught my eye first.

"Stop, stop, stop," I said quietly, studying the screen. A file, tiny in comparison to the others, labeled **Funding **was what I saw. Of course! Why hadn't I thought of this before? The Doomsday Group had to get their funding from somewhere and I knew it probably wasn't from simple donations. They had to have sponsors, people who were under their mind control and wanted to give away every penny they had for their cause.

Fang glanced at me and I nodded. He understood that this could be key to defeating the DG in the long run. Take away their funding and then they didn't have money for their schemes. Then where would they be? Broke and unable to feed cash into their system.

Mike clicked on the icon for the document and a screen popped up filled with transactions with more zeros than I'd ever seen in my entire life. Not thousands, not even millions. We're talking in the billions here. _Holy shit,_ I thought, my eyes going wider than dinner plates. _They're loaded._ Obviously this plan would take longer than would be logical. Who had the money to fund these guys?!

"Who's funding them?!" Holden asked in awe. "They've gotta be richer than anyone else in the world!"

That was when it hit me. I gasped and everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at me. "What is it, Max?" Kate asked. "Is something wrong?" Everyone had been on edge about my possible death since Fang had told them.

"I know who's funding them!" I cried. "I can't believe that I didn't realize it when I saw the numbers! Oh my—!" I stopped and sat down heavily in a chair. It all made sense now.

"Who?" Nudge asked, sitting on the edge of her chair with excitement. "Is it an entire country or is it several people?"

I shook my head. "No. It's just one person." I looked up at everyone's anxious faces. "Holden gave me the idea when he said that this person has to be richer than everyone else in the world."

Iggy stared at me in shock. "Nino Pierpont," he whispered. I nodded solemnly. Nino Pierpont was the richest guy in the world and had helped the CSM on several occasions. He'd also helped out the flock occasionally but we'd never met the guy.

"But why…?" Dr. Martinez murmured. "Why would he help the flock and then turn against you to fund the Doomsday Group?"

I shrugged. "I honestly don't know." I turned to Mike. "Print out that funding sheet. Also, do some research and see what you can find out about Nino Pierpont."

He nodded and did a mock salute. "Aye aye, ma'am," he said. I rolled my eyes.

As he did that Fang turned to me and muttered under his breath, "Are you sure about their funding coming from him?"

I gave a barely perceptible nod and murmured back, "Yes. It says that it comes from one guy and no one else in the world has that much money."

"But why he be on our side one minute and then change sides?" he asked.

I thought for a second and pursed my lips. "He's Wall Street's biggest risk taker. He probably thinks he can make a profit out of these guys and that their cause will succeed better than ours. But to be honest, I don't know. Maybe he was just spying on us and then feeding the info to the DG later."

"But the DG hasn't been around that long." His dark eyes were piercing and I fought fiercely to control my blush. "From the research I've done they've only been around for two or three months."

I shrugged. "Let's just play it by ear then. We'll get more info when we break into the base."

He nodded and remained emotionless. However, there was a glimmer of some emotion behind his eyes. Whether it was hope, anxiety, or something else I couldn't tell. I looked away and let my hair fall in my face in an attempt to conceal my blush.

"So according to what I've read," Mike said, interrupting the conversation, "Mr. Pierpont got rich off of some oil he found up in Alaska in the 1960s. Since then he's gone into the mining industry, prospecting for gold in Canada and Alaska. After that he formed Pierpont Industries, which makes weapons for the military." He paused. "This is weird. It says here that in the late 1970s he stopped going out in public and hasn't been seen since then. He uses his secretaries to tell branches of the company what to do and uses them for meetings and stuff."

My eyebrows scrunched together. "I can understand the weapons development," I muttered. "He's obviously arming the DG as well as funding them. But why wouldn't he go out in public? Does it say if he has any deforming diseases or cancers?"

Mike scanned the page quickly and shook his head. "No. There's nothing here that says anything about being sick or having cancer. It just says that he never goes out in public. Nothing about why."

_This shit keeps getting weirder and weirder, _I thought, rubbing my forehead. Nothing was adding up; there was no pattern, no rhyme or reason. My whole life, once again, felt like a giant thousand-piece puzzle. The moment I found out how two of the pieces fit together there was another one that was called to my attention and its partner seemed to be missing. _Great._

"Yo guys," Ratchet said. He pointed out of a porthole, his face filled with awe. "We're here. Welcome to Rio."

I stood and walked up the stairs to the weather deck. (Translation: the deck that is exposed to the weather. So basically outside.) The entire city was laid out before us. The beach was covered in multicolored umbrellas and sun tanning vacationers. Boats lined every dock. It was an explosion of color and sound. Above the city, on a hill a few miles out, stood Christ the Redeemer, his arms outstretched as if to give the entire city a hug.

We were close. Very close. I thought about Ella, only a couple hundred miles out under the waves. _We're coming, Ella,_ I thought, as if she could hear me. _We're going to save you._

After we docked and paid the fee to the dock owners (who were much nicer than Mr. Cortez) the others wanted to do a bit of sight-seeing. Fang and I were inclined to say no, since the city was most likely overrun with DG-ers. However, Nudge and Gazzy pulled out the Bambi eyes so we couldn't say no, much to our frustration.

They left with Dr. Martinez. I was still cautious about her but at the same time I knew she would never hurt them in any way, shape, or form.

The older kids (Iggy, Mike, Dylan, Ratchet, Holden, Maya, Kate, Star, Fang, and myself) decided to walk around in a big group. Ratchet and Iggy had managed to make the others agree to finding a party. (Turns out they hold a lot of those on the street here.) For some reason, I agreed to it. My guard slipped, okay? This city seemed a little too fun for DG-ers to be running the show. Jeb agreed to watch over the boat while we were out and oversee the transfer of fresh supplies into the galley.

After us girls changed into something a little more party-worthy (I'm not entirely sure how, but they managed to wrestle me into a red lace tank top with a tiny black tube top underneath and black short-shorts.) we hit the streets, smiling and laughing as Ratchet and Iggy cracked jokes.

It didn't take us that long to find a party. Within a few blocks we found a large party where a DJ was blaring bands like Three Days Grace, Linkin Park, and 30 Seconds to Mars.

Kate and Star ran off somewhere to find guys to dance with and they were out of sight in seconds. Holden, Mike, Ratchet, and Iggy went straight for the nearest mosh pit, leaving me, Maya, Dylan, and Fang alone. Bad choice, let me tell you.

As they started to play "Monster" by Skillet, Fang said, "Wanna dance? Figured I owe you for Total's wedding."

I stared at him for a moment before smiling and taking his hand, leading him into the throbbing, jumping crowd.

The chorus started and we took off, jumping and head-banging to the beat, even singing along on occasion. (We'd gone to a Linkin Park concert for a date once, so we were familiar with how stuff like this worked.) I silently was thankful that the other girls let me wear my combat boots (brown, super dusty, and scuffed beyond belief) instead of the four-inch heels that they wanted me to wear. My feet would have been dead otherwise.

We were swept away by the music, enjoying ourselves more than we had in a long time. The sun was just beginning to set when the DJ announced, "Okay, okay settle down. We're gonna kick off any blooming summer romances by playing your favorite song: 'Guardian Angel' by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus."

The crowd cheered and the various couples began to slow dance. I turned bright pink. _What should I do?_ I wondered frantically. Stay or run? Stay or run? Stay…?

Fang held out his hand. "If my memory serves me correctly I owe you a dance. And I mean a real dance." I turned brighter red but took his hand. He pulled me close and put his right hand on my waist. The other clasped my right hand gently.

The music surrounded us, creating a sort of shield that protected us from the rest of the world. I numbly felt his hand on my waist and his rough, calloused fingers enclosing my hand tenderly. Our bodies were pressed together in a way I hadn't thought possible since he'd left so long ago now.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"For what?" I asked, staring into his dark eyes, which expressed nothing but the deepest sorrow.

"For everything," he said. "For betraying you like that. It's my fault that Selene is dead. I know how much she meant to you and the flock. She meant a lot to me, also."

The hand which I had placed on his shoulder reached up and touched his face gently. "It isn't your fault, Fang," I told him. "I would have done the same thing if it were you. In the end, I think Selene knew what you had done and knew that it was how it was supposed to be." I paused. "And for as long as I live I will always forgive you for it."

We were silent for a few moments.

"I still love you, you know," Fang finally said quietly.

I blinked and looked up at him. "Fang this isn't the best time—"

"Please, Max," he pleaded. "Just hear me out. We can't keep avoiding this. You know that I love you. Do you love me or not?"

I was at a loss for words. _He still loves me…_ I thought vaguely. "I _do_ love you, Fang," I replied. "But—"

"But what?" Fang asked, his voice turning cold.

I avoided looking into his eyes as I said, "We have to focus on finding Ella and Angel. And you said yourself that us being together is a distraction from what we both have to do: save the world and destroy the Doomsday Group."

"We can find a way," he told me. "Once all of this is over we can be together again."

"But what if we've changed?" I countered. "What if this ordeal has changed us so much that by the time it's over we no longer love each other?"

"I doubt that," he said.

Before I could get another word in, he leaned down and kissed me.

This kiss wasn't like our kisses before. This one was pleading, begging for another chance. It was passionate, yet soft enough to be reassuring. His arms wrapped around my waist tightly, holding me to his lean, strong body. My arms slowly reached up, my hands running along his chest, and wound around his neck. My fingers tangled in his dark, overlong hair.

_No!_ the rational part of my brain thought. _You're not supposed to do this! No distractions._

_But this feels so good, _the irrational voice in the back of my head whispered. _And I love him._

Before either part of my brain could win the battle of rationality, we broke apart. We were still tightly pressed together, our arms still wrapped around the other in our passionate embrace. We stared at each other, both at a loss for words.

"Max," Fang said. "Please. We can find a way to make it work."

"What if we split up again?" I questioned. "What if you leave? Am I really going to have to wait twenty years like you said?" He winced, remembering his promise. "If we split up, it will be the same pain. I don't want either of us to go through that again. The flock was torn up about it. Fang, you leaving affects them just as much as it affects me. Think about that. The dangers far outweigh the benefits."

"Then I won't leave," he murmured. "I won't put you through that again, Maximum, I swear."

I felt Dylan's eyes on us, and a blush coated my cheeks. "What if one of us dies?" My arguments were getting weaker and weaker by the minute. I felt my resolve crumbling just by looking into his eyes.

Fang smirked, like he was ready to start laughing. "Max, we'd both take the bullet for each other. Do you really think I'd let you die? Or vice versa?"

At that moment, all hell broke loose as a giant wave burst into the city.

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><p><strong>In honor of <em>Nevermore<em> being released today, this chapter is up. It's dedicated to Guest (you should have left a name!), Discombobulator3029, and then my long-lost sister Let's Cry Over Sad Songs. You guys are all amazing!**

**The next chapter should be up in a couple of days. (I start school next week. Damn.) It took me forever to get it off the ground but thanks to Two Steps from Hell I've found the motivation to keep working. :) This is where I really start getting into the plot, since we really haven't seen anything serious yet. (I suck haha.) But within the next two chapters I destroy a lot of stuff. I'm evil. We're nearing the end of part 1! (This story is four parts but it's all one fic.) Part Un sets the stage, Part Deux is where shit gets real. Part three is leading up to the finale and Part Four we see the end of the journey. :) I've had this all planned out for the last year. (I've already written the climax for this fic! And part of the end...)**

**~A$h**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: *insert witty disclaimer here***

**Claimer: I SWEAR TO GOD JAMES PATTERSON, IF YOU TOOK ANY IDEAS FROM MY FIC I WILL PERSONALLY HIT YOU OVER THE HEAD WITH A SHOVEL.**

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><p><span>Chapter 22<span>

I'd seen footage of tsunamis on T.V. but I'd never really known just how damn _fast_ those things move. Think of it like this: a wall of water filled with debris moving at around fifty miles per hour. That's like getting hit by a semi going seventy. Four words: it hurts like hell.

The water slammed into Fang and I. Thanks to our gills we were able to breathe, but just as soon as I remembered how to make my gills work I was slammed against a tree, knocking any oxygen I had out of me.

Fang, who still had a hold of my hand, hauled me up to the surface. The world had gone from a wonderfully bright party atmosphere to complete chaos in a matter of seconds. I saw dead bodies floating through the water, pale and blue-lipped. Some were covered in blood, their limbs bend at odd angles and faces expressing fear and pain. Those who had managed to survive the impact of the wave were screaming out to loved ones who had disappeared. Many clung to buildings or trees in order to keep themselves from being swept away by the current.

I held fast to Fang, trying hard not to float away with the other people who had been dancing alongside us moments earlier. One terrified thought rang out through my adrenaline-filled mind: Where were the others?

As if on cue Iggy, Mike, Holden, and Ratchet swam up to us. Their faces expressed the same emotions I was feeling then: fear and utter surprise. "Where are Kate, Star, Maya, and Dylan?" Mike asked.

Fear clutched my heart like an icy fist and my stomach dropped to my feet. _Did they make it out? _I asked myself. _Are Nudge and Gazzy okay?_

Fang squeezed my hand reassuringly. I met his eyes, which told me, "They'll be okay. Just relax." I nodded but couldn't dispel my fear. If something had happened to the others I'd never forgive myself for bringing them along on this. _It all could have been avoided if I'd just gone alone…_

He read my expression and frowned. "I know that look, Max," he growled. "Don't think about it."

I couldn't decide if I wanted to hit him for knowing me so well or if I should kiss him again. _Damn._ But before I could decide Dylan and Maya flew overhead. They pointed to a taller building where Kate and Star waved and motioned for us to join them. I let out a small sigh of relief. _Two down, two to go,_ I thought.

"We have to get back to the boat!" I yelled up to the others. "From there we can look for Nudge, Gazzy, and Doctor Martinez." They nodded and got their game faces on. _Show time,_ I thought, pushing off of the tree Fang clung to in order to get leverage. Then I launched myself into the air and snapped out my wings. I dropped at an alarming rate before feeling the wind in my feathers and flying up to the building where I grabbed Kate and Star. I wouldn't be able to hold their combined weight for long but I just had to make it to the boat, which was only a couple of blocks. If I accidentally dropped one (or both) of them then at least there was water beneath us.

We were feet from the boat when my arms started to give out of me. "No!" I screamed. "Come on, Ride, it's only twenty more feet." A relatively short distance compared to how far I could actually fly.

To my horror I started to feel the cold blackness from the visions pull me under. "No, no, no!" I heard Kate cry. "This can't be happening! Fang, Dylan, Iggy!" It was no use. By the time the others realized what was happening I had seized up was falling faster than I cared to realize.

But I fought through and let out a fierce war cry before throwing—literally _throwing_—Kate and Star onto the boat. They landed heavily on the weather deck and stared in horror as I began falling once again. I couldn't stave off the darkness any longer and was swallowed up.

* * *

><p><em>A man was standing underneath a willow tree in an expansive garden. He was extremely handsome with short, jet-black hair; dark brown eyes; and a sharp, angular face. He had perfect olive skin and wore a simple rough-spun tunic and leather sandals. He was well-muscled, but not so much that he appeared to be a weightlifter.<em>

_He was peering down at the small, babbling stream at the root of the tree, clearly in deep thought. He didn't notice the woman approach from behind until she had wrapped her arms around his torso and leaned her face into the crook of his neck._

_The woman was unbearably beautiful. She had a small, heart-shaped face with flawless, tan skin; a tiny, perfectly straight nose with a few freckles; and her lips were full and the color of pale pink roses in the moonlight. She was shorter than the man, her molten amber eyes only reaching his chin. She had long golden hair which was plaited down her back. Around her head she wore a golden circlet with an engraving along the entire length of it, written in an ancient, unrecognizable script. She wore over-long, flowing white robes and no shoes._

_"Al'qatë," he muttered. "You got my message."_

_"Of course I did," the woman, Al'qatë, whispered back. She looked up at the man and her eyebrows crinkled together. "What's wrong, Lenotus?"_

_The man, Lenotus, turned and faced her. He took her hands in his and kissed her knuckles softly. Al'qatë let out a small sigh. "Nothing is wrong, my love," he replied. Their voices were soft, like they didn't want to be overheard. "But I have a plan to avoid your wedding to Pwë'nâl."_

_Her eyes widened with excitement. "Really?!" she whispered louder than she intended to. She blushed with embarrassment at her outburst and cleared her throat softly. "But truly you've found a way?"_

_Lenotus nodded, letting go of her hands and putting his own hands on her small, proudly-set shoulders. "Yes, I have," he murmured. "I've arranged with my friend Selyân to lend us his boat at any time before the ceremony so that we may escape and find shelter in Egypt, where he has family who may take us in."_

_Al'qatë stared in disbelief. She put a hand on Lenotus's cheek and he leaned into her as if he couldn't stand to be without her touch. "Egypt?" she asked. "But… Does Selyân not have family in any more distant part of the empire? One where we would be at least risk?"_

_"Al'qatë," he whispered, his voice husky and determined, "Egypt is the only safe place for us in this world. Selyân tells me that priestesses there marry in all ranks—servants, farmers, and nobles alike—no matter their previous station. They have forsaken the traditional laws and we may be married there. We can live in peace and not have to worry that Pwë'nâl, the king, or your parents will ever find us. We can start fresh, just like we always talk of doing."_

_"Then start fresh we shall!" she murmured. With that she and Lenotus pressed their lips together in one passionate, love-filled kiss. Nothing would ever tear them apart again—not Pwë'nâl, not their duties to others, not even Al'qatë's family. It would be a new start with a new life. No one would ever stop them._

* * *

><p>My eyes snapped open and I gasped, feeling like I was a second away from drowning. I was breathing raggedly, heavily, almost like I'd run a marathon or had come up for air not a second too late.<p>

"Max, calm down," a deep, deliberate voice said next to me. I looked around wildly, searching for the speaker. Finally I saw that it was Fang. My breathing evened out and I relaxed.

Then I remembered my vision… The man and woman looked an awful lot like… But no. It couldn't have been. It was just a hallucination, some dream I'd had. But then… why hadn't I spoken to anyone like the other times when I'd seen Angel?

"Where am I?" I rasped, my voice hoarse and scratchy.

"You're in a bunk on the _Eagle_," he replied. "It's one-fifteen in the morning and it's been two days since the tsunami in Rio. It's July tenth, if you want to know the exact date."

I looked at him. His black eyes expressed a worry I'd never seen from him. He was sitting in a chair beside the bunk, his hair unkempt like he'd been running his hands though it as he had a habit of doing when he was worried or frustrated. "What happened?" I asked, propping myself on my elbows and taking in my surroundings. This was the female cabin and I was laying on one of the bottom bunks.

Fang thought for a moment before saying, "After you… fell… I went in after you. Somehow I managed to grab you before the tide carried you too far. Then I got you back onto the boat. You were mumbling something that I didn't understand. It sounded like a different language. We got the boat going and found Nudge, Gazzy, and Doctor Martinez not far from what was left of the docks. Then we left, not wanting to stick around for much longer. I-_we_ waited for you to wake up but you never did. After the first day we thought you'd gone into a comma or something."

For the first time in my life I heard genuine fear in his voice. He'd been worried sick about me and I'd been having a vision about two people planning on running away to Egypt. How unfair was _that_?

I touched his cheek gently and he looked up at me. I smiled sympathetically at him. "But I'm awake now," I murmured. I couldn't help but notice that I kept leaning slightly closer as the seconds ticked by. "So you've got nothing to be worried about."

Before our lips could touch he breathed, "Just promise me that you'll never scare me like that again."

I smirked. Then I adjusted so I was kneeling on the bunk, my head just slightly above his, so he had to look up at me. "I promise," I barely whispered when my lips crashed to his.

Yes, I knew that this was stupid and irrational. Yes, I knew that anyone could walk in at any second and catch us. (It would have been extremely awkward, especially given that my tank top was starting to ride up and our hands were starting to wander and I was practically sitting in his lap. Not that either of us minded or anything. It had been way too long since we'd been anywhere _near_ this close to each other.)

Did I care about any of that? Not one bit. All that mattered to me was the feel of his rough lips against mine; how his hand was making slow, warm circles on my lower back; and his other hand softly touching the exposed skin of my thigh (which was pretty much all of it). (Apparently someone had rid me of my combat boots, shorts, and lacy top and replaced it with a black tank top and super-short cotton shorts.)

Before things could get interesting, someone knocked on the door. Fang and I parted, both of us panting quietly. I smiled and brushed a strand of his dark hair out of his eyes. He gave a smile to me and then turned his head toward the door, scowling. I had nearly no time to crawl off of him and sit on the bed with my legs crossed—let's all pretend that nothing happened!—when Iggy walked in.

"Any developments?" he asked. There was a slight hint of laughter to his voice. He'd heard us! _Shit, _I thought. He shut the door behind him and sat down on the opposite bunk.

"I'm awake, Ig," I replied, blushing more than I remembered I could. It was all I could not to let my voice show that I knew that he knew. "Just got up a few minutes ago."

"I've just been filling her in on what happened," Fang said quietly, avoiding Iggy's unseeing eyes. "Any news yet on the east coast?"

Iggy shook his head. "Not yet," he said, his face turning serious. "But there are some new helicopter shots that they've been showing on the news. The damage is pretty serious—the _entire_ eastern seaboard got hit apparently, all the way from Maine to Florida. It's awful."

My eyes widened. "What are you talking about?" I asked, worry starting to creep up inside of me. "What's happened?"

Fang and Iggy glanced at each other (although that doesn't really apply since Iggy's blind). "Max, please don't freak out," Iggy said, his voice calm but with an edge. "But the entire eastern seaboard of the United States was destroyed the same day as the tsunami in Rio. It even took out Washington, D.C., so the whole country is freaking out. It all got taken out in a wave that was reported to be a hundred feet or so tall. They said it was caused by some volcano in the Canary Islands going through a landslide three days before that."

My jaw dropped. In a matter of hours the most important chunk of the U.S. got taken out because of a mega tsunami? It just didn't make sense. There was no way it was possible. I had to see these images for myself.

With that I stood, numbly aware that my legs felt like jelly but ignoring it as I walked out to the small hallway which led to the dining room and living room. The flock and the gang surrounded the T.V., staring in horror at the images being shown.

I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand to keep from screaming. They were showing images of cities like New York, Providence, Boston, Atlanta, and Washington drowning in water. Dead bodies were everywhere—they hadn't been expecting anything on this scale. They probably hadn't had any warning.

Tears began to leak out of my eyes, much to my horror. I didn't want to cry. For some reason I just knew that I shouldn't be crying—like it was an instinct or something. I wanted to scream until my throat was raw. I wanted to punch the new castors right in their perfect faces for only showing their horror and no sadness. I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry until I had no tears left.

I became aware of someone pulling me to them. Fang. Of course. He pulled me to his chest, all thought of what had passed just minutes earlier cast out of our minds. Then I hugged him hard and pressed my face against his chest, willing myself not to cry like the other girls. I couldn't cry.

Images danced behind my closed eyes. _A city swallowed by a wave of water. A city under siege and burning as an army approached. A mass of people fleeing a stone city, saddened looks on their faces as they took all that they could carry. Blood dripping from the handle of a dagger. A golden cup with an oily substance floating on top of the wine—poison. A cliff two hundred feet high, the waves clashing angrily against the rocks as a storm raged. _

I opened my eyes again. I didn't need any of that. I needed peace, a moment where nothing bad was happening. But I just couldn't get it. It was one thing after another and it was driving me mad. I didn't know how much more of it I could take. Finally I couldn't take it anymore and I burst into tears.

I suppose we all had to give in, one way or another.

* * *

><p><strong>Before you all start killing me for destroying everything: that kind of mega tsunami is based off of scientific fact. I had the facts all written up (I don't know where they went. Sorry.), but basically if the volcano in the Canary Islands blows its top, then has a landslide, everyone on the east coast is screwed. :s I apologize for destroying it, but I have to have my fun.<strong>

**Note: I have not yet read _Nevermore_! Therefore I do not want any spoilers making their way into the reviews. **

**Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter! You guys make me smile. (Max and Fang are not officially "together!" Not yet, at least.) Please remember to leave some kind of pen name (if you're not logged in/don't have an account) in the review section below so I can thank you next chapter!**

**~A$h**


	23. Chapter 23

**Before I begin today, I want to give some shout-outs to my awesome reviewers. :)**

**Guest: I'm flattered that you think I write with Patterson's style. :) And I believe the geometrical shape you were looking for was a quadrilateral. No offense hahaha! As for your request for Dylan/Max… I can't spoil the rest of the story, can I?**

**ttttzzzz: They may be falling apart in the canon, but this story is just a _tiny_ bit different from _Nevermore. _(When I say tiny I really me that they are nothing alike at all, lol.) Like I told Guest, I can't spoil the story yet. There are specific reasons for Fax, you know. ;)**

**Disclaimer: Screw this!**

**Claimer: Yeah, yeah. Whatever. As long as you ask nicely to use elements from my story I'm cool.**

***Note: While reading this chapter I recommend listening to "Gamechanger" by Two Steps from Hell. From here on out (for the most part) the chapters will be inspired by songs. I highly recommend listening to the songs while reading the chapters when you see a little asterisk. (AKA: *)**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 23<span>

Three days after I woke up we were five miles away from the base—well out of their radar range from what the plans we'd taken from the website told us. Fang, Mike, Holden, and I had already discussed a plan for getting in without being eaten by the shark/human hybrids. It was relatively simple and, hopefully, it would work without it blowing up in our faces.

It was early morning—around five-thirty—and the sun was just beginning to rise, painting the sky with gold and pink. Those of us going on the mission were preparing ourselves for what might have been our most dangerous mission to date—and we'd done some pretty crazy stuff.

We were dressed in all black and were armed to the teeth with knives, bombs (courtesy of Iggy and the Gasman), and two slingshots between the four of us. We were standing on the weather deck, making any final preparations and getting ready to say goodbye.

I pulled on my combat boots when Fang asked, "Are you sure you want to bring those?'

I looked at him as I tied my right boot first out of habit—and for luck. "I'm certain," I replied. "I've worn these boots for almost every mission. If I don't wear them then something bad will happen. Always does." The last time I didn't wear them was when we were in Paris. The time before that was the day that Fang died. And so on and so forth. There was a reason they were my _lucky_ combat boots.

"Alright," he replied, shrugging. "But I thought you were against washing off the dust?"

Then I stopped tying my left boot. I scowled. He was right. The dust and scuffs were what made the boots lucky. If I went underwater with these then it would wash away all of my good luck. Then again, I doubted that the caked mud—and blood—would ever come off, let alone the scuffs. I resumed tying the boot and shrugged as if to say, "I've done it before and I'll do it again." (Referring to the time when we'd been on a submarine and I'd had to wear the boots when I'd gone in the water after Angel. I'd also been wearing them when the tsunami hit Rio.)

A few minutes later, while we were taking stock of the gear and splitting it up between the four of us, everyone else appeared on the deck. Their faces were grim and determined. If anything went wrong—and there was a strong likelihood that something would—then they would have to be out of here within seconds.

I looked at the faces of the flock. Nudge's eyes were wide and scared but expressed a stubborn determination. Iggy was impassive but I knew him well enough to know that he was scared for us as well as Ella. Gazzy was fiddling with the hem of his shirt, unsure of whether we'd come back or not.

I gave them a tiny smile. They were all I had left of my original family other than Fang. (He was going on the mission so he had as much of a chance as I did of dying. Therefore, in this instance, he was not among the group of people I needed to say goodbye to.) I reached out and hugged Gazzy. I kissed the top of his head and whispered, "I'll come back. Then we'll go to the ends of the earth to find Angel."

I heard him let out a broken sob and he hugged me hard. I understood his pain. He didn't want to lose anyone else he cared about. He'd already lost his sister twice to the enemy, and therefore didn't want to risk anyone else being lost to their wretched ways.

He let go and looked up at me with sad, tear-filled eyes. He always tried so hard to be brave, to be the wonderful man I knew he'd grow up to be. Now he had to be strong, to be my trooper like the old days before things got out of hand. "For the flock," he murmured. My smile widened and I nodded once. For the flock. For Angel.

I turned to Nudge. There had been many instances when we hadn't agreed on issues but there were even more times when she'd stood up for me when my voice had been drowned out. She hugged me tightly for a moment before pulling away and going to say goodbye to Holden. And that was it. No words needed to be exchanged. We understood each other; we knew that heartfelt apologies could be saved for later. But now was not the time.

Then I turned to Iggy. His blind, pale blue eyes studied me like he could see through me, right into my very soul. "I remember when we were ten," he said slowly, "and we were in the forest near the house. You described to me what trees were like and which bird made which call. And then we sat under a tree near the lake and you told me how you would have been blind for me if you could."

I felt tears spring up in my eyes. I remembered that day like I'd lived it just moments earlier. I wished that I could live that moment over and over again. It had been so peaceful and no one had disturbed us, not even Jeb. We'd only gotten out of the School two weeks earlier and already I knew the forest in that area like the back of my hand. "I remember too, Ig," I whispered, trying hard not to cry. Things had been so simple back then. What I wouldn't give to go back to those days.

Then, with everyone around watching, Iggy pulled me close and kissed me. It was only for a few seconds but his lips had a determined pressure. _What could have been,_ I thought hazily, leaning into his tall, wiry frame. I gripped his shirt and deepened the kiss. For a moment I had only one thought: _Screw what everyone else thinks._

Around us I heard varied noises of surprise and shock. A gasp from Kate, a mild "OMG!" from Nudge, chuckles from Mike and Ratchet, and a noise of disgust from Gazzy. I had no way of knowing what Fang or Dylan thought about this little kiss. I probably didn't want to.

When we broke apart he smiled down at me and I blushed. He was like a brother to me so this was certainly awkward for the both of us. "Just… ah, just for good luck," he said, blushing as well. He knew that everyone was staring. _Awkward,_ I thought to myself.

I looked away and went to say goodbye to the gang, still blushing like a schoolgirl. I sensed Fang's eyes on me, following my every move. I knew that he was just as surprised as I was about the kiss. I'd have to explain it later, tell him about the time when we were ten and that one perfect day after a decade of horror.

After we said goodbye to everyone we dove off the side of the boat, sinking into the clear, extremely cold water. We swam twenty feet down before slowly making our way east toward the base.

This was it. This was the moment we'd been waiting weeks for. All of our preparations were about to be put to the test in this moment. I took deeper breathes, bracing myself for anything that could possibly go wrong, readying myself for that adrenaline rush if it came to fighting.

Two miles from the base we surfaced again. We were within radar range of the base. We knew that we would only register as tiny blips on the screen but we'd be large enough to be significant targets. This was where things could get tricky.

"Are you ready with the scrambling device?" I asked Mike. Over the last few weeks he'd been developing a small, waterproof, hand-held device that could scramble a radar signal for anything within a five-mile radius. That was just one of the perks of having a tech nerd among our ragtag crew.

"Yeah," he replied, pulling out the small black machine. "Once I press the button it should conk out their radar systems. I've been testing it out on Fang's computer, which has a lot of the same tech as radar. In theory, this should work on straight up radar. If it works on a high-tech laptop it should work on a simple ping network."

I gave him a nod, telling him to press the button. When he did there was a slight screeching sound emitting from the device. I hoped that meant it was working. "Let's go," I said to them. They nodded and we ducked under the waves once again.

_One mile,_ I counted down in my head as we swam. _Three-quarters. One half._

The nearer we got to the base the more my head began to pound. It wasn't a splitting headache but it was enough to bother me and distract my mind for a few moments at a time—moments that could mean the difference between life and death. I was starting to feel dizzy and forming thoughts became a laborious task.

Finally the base was in view. Imagine it like this: an enormous metal mushroom with small widows glowing with artificial light. Then imagine there being long, thin stems branching off of the skinny part of the mushroom. If you could imagine that, you could understand what we were up against. That is to say, a five-mile tall mushroom-like base filled with people who wanted us dead.

Just peachy.

Fang pointed to one of the hatches (the protruding stems). We knew that that was our landing target. It was where we'd get in and out of the base, ideally without anyone suspecting us.

We nodded and swam to the hatch, hoping that the shark/human guards would let us through without a fight. That was the last thing we needed: a fight with hybrids that were in their element and knew how to fight in it. We Gen. 54 and Gen. 77 were much more comfortable on land and in the air than in the water, where we would be sitting ducks.

However, there was no one guarding the hatch. Fang and I exchanged a look. This was not what we'd been expecting. We'd read up all we could about this base, often spending hours discussing the schematics, electrical layouts, and detailed sketches of the traps specifically so we would know what to do when the time came. And now that something we'd planned for was nowhere to be found, it screwed everything up.

We opened the hatch using the codes we'd downloaded with the other files. It slid open and shut once we were inside. Then the water drained out using an elaborate pump system (another schematic we'd studied) and the door on the other side opened, letting us inside the base.

"What the hell was that all about?" Holden asked, voicing what was on our minds. "I thought this place would be swarming with hybrids from top to bottom! Instead all the guards are gone and there's no one in this control room!"

Glancing around, I noticed he was right. There was no one to be found in the small control room. Panels gleamed with brightly-lit buttons. Screens were in sleep mode. Chairs were empty and looked like they hadn't been sat in for a while.

"Something's not right," Mike said. "We shouldn't be here. They probably knew we were coming and scrammed before we were within a hundred miles."

I knew that Mike was right. Somewhere deep inside I could feel it. They'd found out somehow (probably through Mike's hack) that we were coming after them and were gone before we were half-way here. "We have to keep looking," I said. "Ella could still be here. Mike and Holden, you go find the control room. Fang, come with me."

They nodded and ran out of the control room. I hoped that they'd memorized the maps correctly. Or maybe even brought them with them.

Fang looked at me. "How can you be certain that she's even here?" he asked. "They've been gone for a while and Ella probably went with them."

"If there's even a small chance she's here," I replied quietly, looking up at him, "then I'm willing to take the risk. We _need_ those files, Fang. It's the only way we're going to find out what the DG is up to. And if we find Ella then that's an added bonus. But _our_ main concern is to find her before Mike and Holden contact us." We'd brought walkie-talkies with us so we could communicate. It was the mark of a winning leader to be tactically efficient. Therefore we had walkie-talkies.

*****"Let's go," I said, running out of the room, Fang not far behind. I had no idea where to start looking. But I figured the best place to begin would be the berthing compartments, which were towards the middle of the base.

We wove through the hallways (which seemed endless) and ran up so many flights of stairs I was surprised that my legs didn't give out underneath me. But finally, after several minutes, we reached the female berthing compartments. I'd read in one of the files that they were organized by which job you had at the base. We'd looked up lists of people, each describing who had what job. Ella worked in the galley and also worked a night shift as a control room guard. Therefore she'd be in Berthing Compartment G7. I ran to the room and slammed open the door.

It was nearly empty, save for a few personal belongings the DG-ers had forgotten to take with them. Sleeping bags were still laid out on the bunks. Pillows were still indented with the shapes of heads. Combs and brushes were scattered on the floor with combat boots and socks. If it hadn't been in the middle of an underwater base, it would have reminded me of a summer camp cabin.

But one person was in there. A girl, around fourteen-years-old with long auburn hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was lying on her bunk, one arm dangling over the edge of her bunk, snoring lightly. Asleep or unconscious?

"Ella!" I gasped, running to my one-time sister. I shook her shoulder. "Wake up! Ella, you have to wake up!"

She stirred and opened her brown eyes. She blinked and stared at me for a moment like she knew who I was but couldn't remember where she'd seem me before. Then her eyes lit up and she cried, "Max!" She pulled me into a fierce hug. "I can't believe it's really you! I haven't seen you in ages."

I hugged her back and felt a pang of guilt when I felt her wings under her tank top. They really _had_ gotten to her. "Why are you here?" I asked. "And where is everybody?"

Ella pulled away and scowled. "Three days ago I hit my head while on guard duty. Somehow it broke the control the Doomsday Group had on me and I started to talk about leaving. The other girls didn't like that, so they ganged up on me and knocked me out. And that's all I remember. I don't know why everyone is gone, but it can't be for a good reason."

"Alright," I replied. "Let's get you out of here. We've got a boat waiting five miles away. The flock is on board and waiting for us to get back. All we have to do is meet up with Mike and Holden and get the hell out of here."

She nodded and stood. "Thank God!" she cried. With that we took off running.

I pulled out the walkie-talkie Fang and I shared and pressed the button. It beeped and I yelled into it, "Yo! We got Ella! Meet us at the rendezvous point when you're finished." I released the button.

Another beep. "Copy that," Holden's voice. "We'll be there." There was shouting on the other end. I heard several curse words but it was mostly muffled, static-filled noise. "Shit! You'd better hurry up, Max! Those DG-ers must've known what we were after! They have a hack on the system where if it recognizes a foreign signal it goes into automatic self-destruct. This whole place is gonna blow in fifteen minutes!" Another beep.

We stopped and stared at each other. The three of us exchanged horrified looks. This couldn't be happening… There was no way we'd be out of range by the time this place blew up. I brought the walkie-talkie close to my mouth and pressed the button. _Beep_. "I copy," I replied slowly. "Get out of there now! That's an order. We need to get out of here before this place blows us all to bits."

"See you in a few," Mike's voice said through the speaker. Then the hallway fell silent.

"Oh, my God," Ella breathed. "They knew. And they knew you'd try to access the files, so they decided to take out two birds with one stone."

I nodded slowly. "We need to move," I said, holding my head up confidently. (Even though I still felt dizzy.) Fang and Ella nodded and we ran in the direction we needed to go. We sprinted down several flights of stairs, often skipping steps to quicken our pace.

"Where's the rendezvous point?" Ella asked as we made a sharp turn down one hallway on the level we were supposed to meet the others.

"The hatch we came in from," I told her, nearly tripping over my own feet. (Yeah, I know. What a klutz.) Fang grabbed onto my arm instinctively to keep me from falling and I shot him a grateful glance.

Just then we turned a corner and I ran into (literally) Holden and Mike. Before I could fall over they caught me and set me back on my feet. "There you are!" Holden cried. "We have to get going. That thing's probably got another seven minutes. If we leave now we can make it to the surface and you, Fang, and Mike can carry me and Ella. Then we don't have to worry about the explosion."

Before I could reply there was a horrible screeching noise, like metal being ripped and torn apart. I paled and looked up at the ceiling above us. More groaning metal. A drop of water landed on the toe of my boot. _Oh no._

Then water started dripping down faster and faster until it was a geyser of cold, salty water. The lights flickered and soon went out, but occasional flicked on and off. When they went off they were replaced with the cold red glow of emergency lights. An alarm began to sound.

"Run!" Ella screamed. We heeded her warning and took off running. It didn't matter where we ran just then. All that mattered was getting out of here without being blown up or impaled by falling metal. Water was pouring in from the ceiling, soaking us to the bone. My pants and tank top clung to my body and my hair was plastered to my face. I tried my hardest not to shiver. The water was colder than hell.

"Up there!" Mike said, pointing to a doorway which said in large, bold letters **EMERGENCY EXIT**. I hoped that it led far, far away from the base.

We found ourselves in a long hallway lined with doors that said things like "Pod 1" or "Pod 7." _Emergency escape pods,_ I thought, surprised. Super sci-fi of them. There were fifty of them. Forty-nine of them had large red lights blinking above them. The last one had a green light.

"That's the one we want!" Holden cried, pointing at the pod with the green light. "All the others are gone."

We nodded and ran for the pod. The Klaxon alarm sounded louder and louder in our ears, like a warning of impending doom.

"Get in!" Mike cried. "I can probably pilot this thing without any trouble. They trained us with things like these back at the facility in Arizona."

Ella, Holden, and Fang got in the pod without another word. But I didn't. I couldn't shake the feeling that someone, somewhere, was still inside this base. I don't know how to explain it, but it felt like someone was _there_, watching us and laughing as we were put through the pressure-cooker. A small voice in the back of my head chanted, _Come to me. Come to me. Come to me. _It unnerved me. I felt sick and disoriented. My head was pounding and I couldn't get my eyes to focus on anything. I staggered and pushed my wet hair out of my face. Something about this whole situation didn't feel right. It felt staged.

"Come on, Max!" Fang yelled. "We have to get out of here _now._"

"No," I mumbled, stumbling towards the hallway where we had come from. "Someone's still here."

I felt Fang's rough hand on my shoulder. "Max, we need to leave. This place is gonna go any second and, trust me, we don't want to be there when it does."

I turned and faced him. His dark eyes were penetrating and radiating emotions that I couldn't identify. His ebony hair was soaked. His black t-shirt clung to his torso from the damp.

"I have to look," I told him. "You go with the others and I'll follow as soon as I can."

"I'll go with you," Fang persisted. I scowled. I didn't need him with me for this. I had to handle it on my own. Whatever this was, I had a feeling that it didn't involve him.

"No," I whispered, putting my hands to his chest. I felt his heart speed up under my fingertips. I could hear it over the roar of the water and the clang of the alarm. It was soothing, calming my pounding head. "Please go with them."

Fang looked reluctant. There was something in his eyes… like he couldn't afford to let me go.

"Please," I whispered, leaning closer to him. "And I promise you, that when I get back, we will find a way to make it work. I want to make it work. I always have. It's all that I've ever wanted. Please."

I was horrified by the tears that started to streak down my face at that moment, but paid them no mind as, in my usual "don't-think-it-through" style, I tilted my head up and kissed him.

One of his arms, muscled and hard, wrapped around my waist and held me close. His other hand held my right hand.

I slipped off the ring he'd given me for our fifteenth birthday and pressed it into his palm, maybe a little too hard, because it drew blood from our palms. Our blood slipped down the ring and mixed, dripping to the floor where it tainted the pools of water.

We broke apart then and I whispered, "I promise we'll find a way." I pulled away, leaving the bloodied ring in his hand. The blood soon washed away from the water pouring in from overhead.

He stared at me for a few moments before giving me a half-smile. "Fine. But don't expect me to be happy about it."

I flashed him a smile. "Good luck," I heard him say as I took off running through the hallway and further into the base.

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><p><strong>Since I, most regrettably, will be starting school tomorrow I wanted this chapter up. :) Expect another chapter on… Friday maybe? Maybe Thursday depending on if my teachers aren't feeling excessively cranky.<strong>

**And about the whole Iggy/Max kiss… It just came to me. I had no plans whatsoever to put that in there but it just struck me so I did. For the Miggy shippers out there: always go down with your ship! Hahaha. (I'm a Zutarian so I know what it's like.)**

**~A$h**


	24. Chapter 24

**Let's thank some reviewers!**

**turtlelover0511: I know it was unexpected. :) I was surprised at myself to. I took a second look (while looking for spelling errors) and was like, "WTF?" Hahaha! School's actually been great so far! All my teachers are nutters but they're awesome. Hope you're having an awesome time at school too!**

**cat musketeer: Please don't die on me! I'm glad you like the story though. :)**

**Disclaimer: *flips it the bird***

**Claimer: Screw this also.**

***Note: This chapter is based off of the song from "The Man of Steel" trailer. (The same song from when Gandalf dies in Fellowship of the Ring." When you see * I recommend listening to the song. :) (If you can find it. I never can...)**

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><p><span>Chapter 24<span>

Fang watched until Max was out of sight. He clutched her ring in his hand, feeling the warm blood seep down his palm and through his fingertips. It had been a blood promise. A promise he was going to hold her to.

"Let's move!" he ordered the others, clambering into the small, compact space of the pod. Buttons and switches blinked different colors on the control panel, which Mike and Ella were poring over. Holden and Fang sat down in seats on either side of the pod and decided to hold on for dear life.

"Where's Max?" Ella questioned, fear filling her eyes.

"She decided to stay," Fang replied quietly, his fists clenching. He had not been pleased, but Max had been so stubborn, so adamant… He should have stayed with her. He should have insisted on not leaving her side until he was certain she was safe. That had always been his way, and now he was going back on everything he knew.

"Here we go," he heard Mike murmur. The doors to the pod slid shut and there came the sound of an engine whirring to life. The pod lurched forward and in no time they were speeding along. They would be back to the _Eagle_ in no time.

The whole time no one spoke. Barely five minutes later they were within feet of the _Eagle_ and rising to the surface. When they surfaced Fang saw the astonished faces of the flock and gang. But they shook off their surprise and started running around the deck, preparing to leave in a moment's notice.

"Let's get going," Ella said as she steered the pod closer to the boat and opened the doors at the back.

The four of them exited the pod and clambered to the top, where they jumped down onto the boat. They were met with the excited yells of the flock. "Ella!" Nudge cried. "Ella! You're okay!"

Ella hugged the girl. However, her expression was hardened and… Were those tears in her eyes? When she saw Iggy, however, her expression became love-struck. He reached over to her and she threw her arms around his neck, kissing him. When they broke apart both were grinning with happy abandon

"How much time is left on the base, do you think?" Fang murmured to Mike so the others couldn't hear him. His gut tightened in horrible anticipation. Something wasn't right. He could feel it. Had Max run into trouble? Was she going to be okay?

"I'd estimate that it has a few seconds left," Mike breathed back. "Don't worry. I'm sure that she'll be fine. She's probably on her way to the surface right now. We'll be able to see her in a minute, if what you say is true about her super-sonic speeds."

Fang nodded, but didn't pay much attention to what Mike was saying. He was staring out in the direction of the base, unable to clearly see the black steel from where he was, even though it was only five miles away.

"Where's Max?" Maya suddenly asked. All fell silent. The excited energy to have Ella back was gone. Now everyone's focus was on Fang.

Even from five miles away he felt the shockwave. From five miles he could hear the ripping of the steel as the base was torn apart with an earth-shattering, heart-stopping _**BOOOOOOM!**_ There was a great plume of water and smoke, steel being thrown in all directions.

Just as soon as it came, it stopped. All fell silent. The world stopped turning. The wind stopped blowing. The sun didn't seem to shine anymore. The universe could have suddenly imploded and Fang wouldn't have noticed. He wouldn't have cared.

Fang could only stare in horror as the column of water disappeared. Everything began to move in slow motion. The world around him disappeared. All that mattered was getting to _Max_. Making sure that _Max_ was still alive.

*****"MAX!" he roared. He began to run to the side of the ship, preparing to dive off and search for _Max_. But Iggy and Dylan had seized his arms, holding him back from looking for _Max_. _His_ Max.

For a time he struggled against the two. After several minutes, which could have been hours or days to Fang, he stopped struggling. Grief overtook him and he fell to his knees. For the first time in fifteen years he broke down and tears streaked down his face.

"She stayed behind," he heard Ella whisper to the others. "She stayed behind and… I don't think she managed to get out." Everyone fell completely silent.

Fang bit the inside of his cheek to keep from sobbing. Within seconds he tasted blood. He'd just lost the girl who he'd known his entire life. He'd just lost the one person who he swore to always protect, no matter the cost. The beautiful woman who meant the world to him, who he would give his life for, had just been erased from the world. It was like he'd just lost half of himself.

He remembered, so clearly, being two years old and meeting her. She'd looked down at him as he lay on the floor with determined, fire-lit eyes. Her hair had been the color of pale gold, glinting silver sometimes if the light hit it right.

That pretty young thing when they were ten, escaping from the School. Her hair had still been white-blond then. But even then he could see that she was growing up, becoming less like a child and more like a teenager. She'd been holding a small, terrified Angel, who was no more than two at the time.

Her terrible beauty when she was fourteen, fighting off Erasers like a warrior queen. Her face steely and hardened, smeared in dirt and blood. Her wings spread out behind her, giving her the appearance of an avenging angel.

A voice pulled Fang out of his memories. It was Dylan, who shouting at him, "This is all your fault! If you'd only listened to Charlie, stayed away like you were told, then she'd still be alive! She'd be _here_ with all of us! It's your fault, you damn traitor!"

All of Fang's anger suddenly snapped. Everything he'd ever done in his life came roaring back in vivid color, taste, touch, and smell. Every wound and feeling fresh and new. He stood and whirled to face Dylan. His eyes were blacker than anyone could ever remember them being and no one else could bear to look him in the eye. Except for Dylan, of course.

Fury replaced blood. Anger clouded any logical thought. For the first time in his life, Fang was genuinely furious. There was no other word in this world to describe what he felt then. "I'm not the only one who betrayed Max, Dylan!" he roared, standing to his full height. "_You_ were the one who plotted against her and planned to turn her over to Dr. Hans when the time was right! _You_ were planning to assassinate her after you met her! Everything _I_ did ten years ago was to protect my best friend!"

"Calm down, both of you!" Maya shouted. It was a pitiful attempt.

"Don't tell me to be calm!" Fang snarled. "Not when you nearly succeeded in killing her! Not when you planned to do away with all of us in order to gain your freedom! I don't care if you're her twin sister!"

Maya recoiled at his tone and tears filled up her eyes. It didn't strike Fang how much she looked like Max then. Frankly, he didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore. She didn't say anything to retaliate.

"Fang, we've all betrayed Max," Gazzy whispered. "Selene died because of your decision to spy on us all. I gave our location to the School when we split up so Angel could be spared. I just didn't know that Max already had a plan…"

"I told Dr. Hans about our secret hideout in the mountains," Iggy murmured, "in exchange for my sight."

"When I stayed at the school in Utah," Nudge admitted, "I told Mr. Chu that you guys were looking for Dr. Martinez with the military and that you were going to Hawaii to look for him. He told me that he could make me normal. That was all I wanted…" She started crying and Holden put his arm around her shoulders.

"When I joined up with the Doomsday Group I told them everything I knew about the flock," Ella breathed. "In exchange they promised me that Iggy would live."

"I told the DG that Angel was Max's weak point," Star sighed. "I just didn't know that they'd exploit it like they did." Tears formed in her blue eyes. "They told me that they'd bring Louie back…" Then she burst into tears, leaning against the railing.

Ratchet cautiously walked up to her and pulled her into a hug. "I've done some bad stuff too," he told the group. "When Fang contacted me… I told them how to trace him through his blog and cell phone."

"While we were in Paris," Kate said quietly, "I gave Mark the trigger to the bomb. He told me that it would only unleash toxic fumes that would make people like us. I didn't think it would destroy the place… They said that I would be able to see my parents again if I did what they said."

"I told the DG that we were coming," said Mike. "But I only told them we were after Ella. I never said anything about the files."

"They told me to keep an eye on Fang and Max," Holden whispered. "They told me to make sure that they never had any contact or saw each other. That was why I erased that first voicemail on Fang's phone from Max. They told me they could take away my enhancement… That I could be normal again…" He looked in the distance wistfully. "But then I realized that I couldn't give up my friends… I realized I was loyal to Max and I'd give my life for her cause."

Everyone looked at one another. Each had done their respective part to betray Max. They'd all gone against her and she'd trusted them with her life… She trusted them enough to give her life for them, for a cause they all believed in.

All was silent after that. No one wanted to speak or be spoken to. All just wanted to sit and wallow in their grief, none more so than Fang. All anyone wanted was to suffer the silence and refuse to think about how Max had spent her last minutes, cold and alone, in that base, soaking in the freezing water without anyone to comfort her.

Fang always imagined that Max would die in the battlefield, going down kicking and screaming. She was not one to sit and die without a fight. But somehow, deep down, Fang knew that if she had the chance she would die peacefully. She'd once said that if she could she would "die young, but die knowing that it was a life worth living."

He'd never get the chance to find out if she thought her life was worth it. He'd never get to ask her if she was proud with her life and how it had turned out. But he knew that she would always say that it was worth dying for. That her life had been lived more fully than any other.

He sat on the edge of his bunk, staring down at the small ring he'd given her and she'd given back as a promise—a blood promise—that she'd broken.

_She wanted to make it work,_ he thought mournfully. _She wanted to be with me._

He stared at the ring, remembering how Max had smiled at him whenever they were together… The way her lips felt against his… The soft, musical tones of her voice… Her quiet breathing as she slept… The way she cocked her head to the left side slightly when she asked a question or was confused… He could remember every little detail. He would always be able to remember, even if he had short-term memory loss and was blind and deaf.

Tears threatened to fall from his eyes again. He tried his hardest but he couldn't get them to go away. For the first time in his life he felt helpless. Max had been his one comfort in the entire world. She'd been his best friend and steadfast companion since the day they met. She was the sole reason why he smiled, why he chuckled, why he would talk at all. She was the reason he _lived_.

Just then, Maya walked in the room. She leaned against the door frame and didn't smile. Instead, she wordlessly handed him a thick envelope. On the front was his name, written in Max's signature scrawl. He would know her handwriting even if he couldn't read. Then Maya walked out of the room.

Fang opened the envelope and read the letter, which was one page and written carefully, like Max had taken a lot of time and effort to make sure that what she had written was nothing more and nothing less than the truth.

_Dear Fang,_

_Understand that if you are reading this, I am most likely dead or near-death. Unless, of course, you believe that I am dead because I've gone missing somehow. But the most likely case is the latter._

_Regardless of the situation, then I need you to take charge. Lead the flock. Do whatever you think is right. If there was a plan, follow it until the very end. If there wasn't, make your own. I need you to be the contingency plan, Fang. I need _you_ to be the one calling the shots now. If that means doing the most stupid, un-thought-through thing you've ever done in your entire life then that is what you must do. It's what I've been doing ever since Selene died._

_This also means that you must be the one to save the world. Seven billion lives are under your care now. It may seem like an impossible task right now, but trust me: it won't get any easier from here. It's going to be a hard journey, but I have complete faith in you. I know that you'll be able to do this. There's no one else I would trust more with this task than you. You're the only person who would know how to handle this other than me. You're the only person on the face of the Earth who would know any kind of plan I had for this task. If not, then, well, let's not think about that._

_There are a lot of things I never got the chance to tell you, Fang. I never told you how grateful I was for all the times you were there to pick up the pieces when I'd fallen apart. I never got the chance to thank you for saving my life countless times. I never told you how sorry I was for every fight we had, even when I was right. I never thanked you for being my best friend. I never told you how I never questioned your loyalty, traitor or not. I never said to you that you were the reason I'd never given up on life, on the flock, on myself. I never told you just how much I love you._

_That is the honest truth, Fang. I love you more than words could ever say. I love you so much that it hurts sometimes. I've always loved you and I always will, even after I take my dying breath. I've always loved your hair and how it was always just a little too long. I love your dark eyes, which are blacker than the midnight sky. I will always love the way you smile, how your mouth barely quirks unless it's when I'm laughing or smiling or when we're alone or when I look at you. (Yes, Fang. I've always noticed that's it's during those moments when you smile.) You're my angel of death (to those who harm me) but you're also my guardian angel. It may seem like it annoys me when you sneak up on me but really it just makes me realize how special I am to you. Every time you spread your wings, looking so daunting and powerful, it takes away my breath and makes me feel like I'm the luckiest girl ever._

_I will always forgive you for what you did, Fang. You will always have a clean slate. It doesn't matter what you've done or what you've said. Nothing will change the fact that I love you and nothing will ever stop me from doing so. Not Sam, not Dylan, not Maya, not even that stupid red-head you kissed back in Virginia. Not even death will stop how much I love you and how much I would have loved to spend the rest of my life with you. Forgive yourself, Fang. Please. For me._

_Lovingly your's, Maximum Ride_

Fang wished he'd never had to read that letter. He wished that he could just go back in time and stop Max from leaving them at the base. He wished that he'd gone with her. But in the end he hadn't. And her lucky boots hadn't been enough to save her.

He folded the letter back up and put it back in the envelope. The he put the ring inside with the letter and put it in his backpack. _I'm so sorry, Max,_ he thought, lying down on his bunk. _I just wish I could have saved you._

Fang hardly slept that night. His dreams were vivid, filled with death and bloodshed and tears. It was the last night he dreamed for a long, long time.

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><p><strong>And so ends Part One. :) The letter wasn't something I planned on writing (much like the MaxIggy kiss) but it just… fit. So I put it in there. As for everyone betraying Max… I'll explain on my profile. There's a long story behind it.**

**So… I finished _Nevermore_. I have a LOT of feels about that book… Surprisingly, it hasn't changed anything that I want to write about in this fanfic. *shrugs* Go figure. But dammit, Patterson, you took my mega-tsunami idea! **

**Anyway… Next chapter will be up sometime at the end of next week. (Most likely next Saturday.) Expect a Part 2 summary around that time as well. Part 2 is where shit gets real, you guys. But the first several chapters start out kind of slow... Writer's block, oh how you vex me!**

**~A$h**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters.**

**Claimer: The plot has been stated on more than one occasion to be mine.**

Chapter 25

_One Year Later_

_She was running through the dimly-lit hallways, wet hair and clothes plastered to her. She had to get away. There was no other option. If he caught her then all hope would be lost. If what he said was true… it would change everything. _Run, run, run!_ she thought desperately._

_ The water pouring in from the metal ceiling was freezing. Goosebumps appeared on her arms. She was starting go numb. Hypothermia. Or maybe she was just going crazy. There didn't seem to be a difference. Her head was killing her._

_ He'd spoken like he knew her, like he understood her thoughts and fears and desires. He knew everything that was going on inside her mind, even the things that she'd tried so hard, for so many years, to keep hidden. Nothing was safe anymore. There was nowhere on Earth that she could hide and be safe from his reach._

_ The more she ran the more she felt herself slipping away. Was this his work? Was he now uttering words of immense power so that she might fall to the floor, unconscious, so that he could take her away? She shuddered at the thought. She'd been stupid to stay. She should have left with everyone else._

_ As she glanced behind her to make sure she wasn't followed, she tripped on a fallen piece of metal. She cried out as she fell into the shallow water. _No, no, no! Run, run, run!

_ She tried desperately to stand but she kept stumbling and falling back into the cold water. She was so close to the escape hatch. She could get away… Back to fresh air, sunlight, and… What? A burning world?_

_ He appeared over her, smiling sadly. "My poor girl," he chastised. "Don't you know that you can't ever hide from me? Try as you might, you will never be able to escape who you are. But not to worry. You'll soon forget that we had this conversation. I'll be waiting for you, my dear. And when you find me know this: I will welcome you with open arms."_

_ With that he disappeared. There was a loud ripping noise, like metal being shattered and torn apart, and then came the noise she'd feared to hear: **BOOOOOOM!**_

_ Then blackness. _

Sixteen-year-old Fang sat bolt-upright in his bed, gasping for breath, certain that he was a second away from death. After regaining his breath, he wiped a hand across his clammy forehead. Cold sweat dripped down his body.

He looked around his dark, moon-lit room. There was no sign of danger, no one there to say that they were there to kill him. Not that there would be. For the last year there had been no sign of danger. There had been no one out for his blood or determined to see him six feet under.

He knew the reason why.

Sighing, he stood and walked to his window. The night sky twinkled with stars and the full moon shined brightly through the open window.

A lot had changed in the last year.

After… _she_ had died the flock and gang had moved into a large cabin in Colorado that had once been Jeb's. (Who refused to talk to them and moved to California not long after they were back in the States.) Ella had moved in with them barely a month later, claiming that she needed "time away from Arizona." Everyone knew what she really meant. She needed to get away from her mother, from a life that reminded her of her one-time sister, from a life that had been a lie. But everyone refused to say it out loud, for fear of bringing _her_ up.

Fang rubbed the back of his neck, trying hard not to think about the day that _she'd_ disappeared out of their lives. But he still remembered everything: the way her hair had been plastered to her face and how her clothes clung to her body from the water pouring in. The taste of her lips and she kissed him three days before that, how she pressed her body against his in all the right ways. When she'd told him that when she came back to him they'd find a way to make their relationship work. _I've always wanted that,_ he remembered her saying. He even remembered her _smell_. Like lemon soap, fresh mountain air, warm chocolate, and sharp mint. It was a combination that was hard to resist.

He sighed and leaned against the window frame. When the cool night air contacted his warm skin he shivered. If things hadn't gone so wrong she'd still be there. He tried to imagine what it would be like.

She'd probably be sleeping in _that_ bed. She'd be lying on her stomach, arms and legs pulled tightly against her, and tightly cocooned in the sheets. She would be smiling ever so slightly as she dreamed. Her hair would be tousled slightly and would frame her heart-shaped face perfectly. She would be glowing in the moonlight, her skin reflecting the silvery beams. When she woke up she'd sigh softly and turn her body ever so slightly. Then she'd prop herself up on her elbows and ask him why he was awake at this ungodly hour.

And how would he reply? Would he tell her that it was nothing and to go back to sleep? Would he smile at her slightly, watching her flaming amber eyes light up, and then move to kiss her full lips? Would he give in and tell her that it had been another nightmare that he couldn't remember for the life of him? But he wouldn't tell her that. Because if she were still alive he wouldn't be having these unknown nightmares now.

He sighed and rubbed his hand across his eyes. He'd been having these nightmares for the last three months. He could never remember what they were or how they were nightmares, but he knew the feeling just by waking up. His heart would race, breath shallow and uneven, and his spine would tingle unpleasantly. But there was literally _nothing_ for him to remember, just blackness.

Fang hadn't been having any normal dreams either. He'd been having the same dreamless sleep for a year now. It bothered him. He was so used to having dreams about his friends, about _Max_, that now that they were gone it was like a piece of him had gone missing.

He sighed and walked over to his desk. It was littered with various odds and ends, mostly news paper articles from the course of the year with headlines like "Leader of Famous Bird Children Dies" or "Private Funeral for Maximum Ride" or even "Rio Suffers Severe Damage; U.S. Struggles to Recover." His laptop sat unused. (He hadn't been able to bear blogging, as it was a reminder of her teasing comments and disbelieving laughter.)

Toward the back were pictures of life before. A picture of the entire flock, smiling and happy, just after their escape from the School. One depicted the girls at a railing at the Eiffel Tower, their hair blowing in the wind, care-free smiles on the faces of Nudge and Angel and a wry half-smile on the lips of Max.

Another was of Fang and Max, around fourteen. Max had her arms wrapped around Fang and there was a huge grin on her face. Fang, however, was barely smiling but there was a glimmer of some emotion behind his eyes. Fang knew what it was. It was happiness to know that the girl he was crushing on was _that_ close to him. (The picture had been taken two years previously, before any of their many misadventures had begun and before Fang began to realize the extent of his feelings for Max.)

He sat down heavily in the chair and put his face in his hands. Everything had changed when Max had died. Iggy stopped making bombs. Gazzy stopped playing pranks. Nudge didn't have the heart to care about clothes or what she wore or doing makeovers. Dylan had ceased to argue with Fang. (Of course, the feuding had stopped only _after_ the funeral. There had been a horrible argument beforehand, however, which the flock refused to speak about still.) The gang had even stopped their restless arguing. They slowly began to accept that there was no going back now, no matter how hard they tried to make things different.

Then Fang picked up several papers. They were all that Mike had collected while at the underwater base. Their mission hadn't been a complete waste (after all, they rescued Ella and retrieved the files) but the files, unfortunately, were encrypted with a code none of them had ever see before.

The code looked like symbols or odd runes that they'd never seen before in their entire lives. Nudge, Fang, and Mike had done extensive research after they got back to the States on ancient symbols and runes, even looking into occult languages. They'd even taken the papers to a professor of ancient history at some big-wig college in California, but, sadly, he had no knowledge of the code. Nothing seemed to match the strange markings, much to everyone's chagrin and grief. The plans, which they had worked so hard to retrieve, were nothing more than an indecipherable code in a language which didn't exist.

He sighed and looked over the papers. The symbols seemed to form words. The words formed sentences. It seemed simple enough. He was even convinced that he'd seen the runes somewhere before, but from where he couldn't remember. Every time he was close to understanding where he'd seen them it would slip through his fingers and there was nothing to remember.

Nothing frustrated him more than knowing he knew but couldn't remember.

Fang stared at the runes for an hour, staring at each one like it was code in and of itself. They were literally a mystery. Finally Fang stopped altogether and just stared blankly at one rune in particular. It looked like a backwards _S_ with a line running through the middle. That rune seemed to strike him then, like looking at it brought back some long-hidden emotion that he couldn't recall ever feeling.

_Eshmân,_ a voice whispered. _Eternity. The letter equivalent to _E_._

Fang nearly jumped out of his skin. Standing right _there_ at the window, the moonlight gleaming off of her long, golden hair was Max. Fang stared at her for several seconds. _I've finally gone crazy,_ he thought wildly. _I'm seeing things. Maya's playing a trick on me._

Slowly, Fang stood and walked toward her. She regarded him sadly, her wonderful molten eyes not blinking once, as he reached out to touch her hand. This couldn't be her. There was no possible way. The Max he knew wore jeans and tank tops and worn-out combat boots. This Max was wearing overlong, flowing white linen robes and no shoes. A small necklace glinted at her neck and she wore a golden circlet around her head.

His hand passed through her's and she disappeared in a cloud of vapor, leaving behind the scent of mountain air, chocolate, lemon soap, and mint.

**Ugh. I know I promised you this chapter months ago, but my teachers have gone bat-shit crazy with the homework and Colonel (my senior naval science instructor) decided that it was okay to make me platoon commander when I've NEVER EVEN GONE TO LEADERSHIP ACADEMY. Needless to say, I've been stressed out beyond belief and I'll probably have grey hair by the end of this year.**

** BUT ANYWAY. Enough of my ranting. This chapter is basically to get you filled in on everything that's gone down with the flock since the little incident with the underwater base. MOST CHAPTERS IN THIS PART OF THE STORY WILL BE FROM FANG'S POINT OF VIEW. The next chapter will be about what happens the morning after this little scene. :) If you want to view the summary for this part (Part 2), it's on my profile. The next chapter will definitely be up next week, unless my Skyrim addiction prevents it.**

** Thank you to the two of you who reviewed the last chapter!**

**~A$h**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: Why do I even bother anymore with these things?**

**Claimer: No, just no.**

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><p><span>Chapter 26<span>

"What's up, Fang?" Kate asked that morning while everyone was eating breakfast. "You look like you saw a ghost or something."

Fang regarded Kate and the flock quietly. Everyone was staring at him with wide, concerned gazes. _Shit,_ he thought. He'd never given thought until that moment of telling them about his encounter with Max's "ghost" the night before nor that he knew what at least one of the runes stood for. But now, with everyone's gazes piercing his insides like knives, he sighed.

"I-I saw her last night," he muttered. Max was a taboo subject. Her life, her very existence, was always felt. She still commanded a powerful presence, even in death. But she was never discussed. Not since the funeral at least. No one had the heart to talk about her anymore. "I saw Max."

Silence.

Then, everyone went into a complete uproar. Accusations that he was finally going crazy (Iggy, Ratchet, and Mike), suggestions that he was lying (Dylan), tears of confusion (Ella, Maya, Nudge, and Kate), and elated shouts of joy (Holden, Star, and Gazzy) flew left and right.

After they'd quieted down (read: noticed the look Fang was giving them) he explained, "It wasn't _actually _Max. It was some vision or something because when I tried to touch her she just vanished."

"And you expect us to believe this?" Dylan asked, cold outrage seeping into his tone as he stood. "You expect us to think that you saw her in some crazed vision and that when you tried to make contact with her she just vanished into thin air?"

Fang stood and stared levelly back at Dylan. Black met blue, like two opposing forces in silent combat. "I don't give a damn what you think is the truth or a lie, Dylan," he replied, his voice calm and even. "You can choose to believe what you want to. But I know what I saw. I know that when she disappeared she left behind the smell only Max can have. I know that what I saw was Maximum Ride, leader of this flock."

Dylan stared at him, open-mouthed, like he was going to say something in reply but couldn't find the words. Ella spoke for him. "What did she look like?" she asked. "Did she look hurt? Was she angry, sad, or confused?"

"She… she wasn't hurt," Fang answered. "She looked calm, like she didn't want to show any emotion. It was almost to the point of indifference." The others nodded, knowing all too well how Max had tended to keep her emotions closed-off where no one could reach them. However, there were quizzical looks in their eyes. Max was not known for indifference. She was either calm with a hint of sadness or calm with anger flaring through every part of her.

"Was she wearing the same clothes she wore when she died?" Ella pressed, her tears beginning to dry.

"No," Fang murmured. "She was wearing a dress." Several raised eyebrows. This was an understandable reaction. Max hated dresses. She hated fancy clothes.

"What did it look like?" whispered Ella, her eyes pressed tightly shut.

"It was white," he replied. "And overlong. She wasn't wearing any shoes. And she was wearing a necklace and a gold circlet."

Ella nodded like she understood. "I know what you're talking about," everyone heard her murmur. "I've seen her too. It was five months after the explosion. I… I was still really upset, mind you. I still am. Anyway… I was sitting in my room, reading with the lamp on. Suddenly I heard a voice say, 'The end is coming.' I looked up and I saw Max. She looked like how you described her. Let me guess: hair down, very long, all the way to her waist?" Fang nodded and Ella's mouth became a thin line. "I nearly screamed. I walked over to her and tried to hug her but then she just disappeared into thin air, leaving behind her scent." Tears were in her eyes again.

Everyone fell silent.

After a long time Maya asked, "Why didn't you ever tell us?"

"I was freaking depressed!" Ella nearly shrieked. "I'd just lost one of my best friends! She saved my life twice and she died because of me! For the longest time I thought she was my sister and then she died and I found out she really wasn't my sister after all! I thought that I was going crazy!" Then she burst into tears. Iggy wrapped his arms around her and whispered sweet nothings in her ear.

The only sound in the room was Ella's sobs and Iggy's comforting whispers. Fang couldn't bring himself to talk about the code or how Max had told him what one of the runes meant. It would be an insult to the silence, to the memories that resurfaced just by bring up Max's name. Even Dylan didn't have the heart to deny what Fang and Ella had seen anymore.

Fang abruptly walked away from the table and out the back door, which led to an expansive backyard, which extended for twelve acres. There he did a running takeoff and flew high into the morning sky. The early summer sky was impossibly blue, the sun shining warmly down on his dark feathers. None of it mattered, though. It just wasn't the same without Max flying at his side, a care-free smile on her face with her hair blowing in the wind.

He flew to the outskirts of a town—what its name was he couldn't remember. Not that he cared. He was only there for one reason and one reason only. He landed and pulled his hood over his face, careful not to look up at anyone. He didn't want to be recognized today. It was just one of those days where Fang just wanted to be left alone without anyone to bother him.

He walked to the library in the town and stepped into the cool, quiet building. There were very few people in there that day. The elderly woman with grey hair was working at the check-out counter like she did every day. A young woman with auburn hair was placing books on the shelves. There were a few other people who were browsing the shelves for something to read, but Fang paid them no mind.

The library was very large for such a small town. The ceiling was fifty feet above him and on a slight tilt. The left was a wall made out of windows, letting in the sunlight. The walls were completely white and covered in posters for novels like _Gone with the Wind_, _A Midsummer Night's Dream_, _The Catcher in the Rye_, _The Lord of the Rings_, and _Harry Potter_.

Fang made his way to the section he'd visited ever time he came here—nonfiction, ancient history. Particularly ancient languages. He grabbed several titles that looked promising and stacked them in his arms. Then he walked over to a small corner table which overlooked a large canyon. He set down the books and pulled out the papers from the files from his back pocket along with a small notepad and half of a pencil.

He opened one of the volumes and started poring over it, hoping that it would yield any valuable information about the symbol Max had mentioned—Eshmân. Muttering to himself, he turned page after page, hoping to find something, _anything_ that would tell him more about the symbol.

"Can I sit with you?" came a quiet voice from next to him.

Fang looked up and saw a young woman. She had to be at least eighteen or nineteen. She had sun-kissed skin, long blond hair streaked with electric blue, and large emerald eyes. In her arms she held a beat-up paperback copy of _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_. (Beat up meaning that the front cover was taped to the spine of the book so it wouldn't fall off.) She wasn't very tall and was wearing jean shorts, a t-shirt which read "NJROTC Area 11 Sail Academy" with a picture of a sail boat that listed all of the structures, flip-flops, and a paint-splattered black-pink-green-and-purple backpack with Sharpie-drawn doodles and scrawls.

"Sure," Fang replied quietly, gesturing to the chair across from his. Then he went back to the book and the files.

The girl was silent for about a half-hour, calmly reading her book. Suddenly she said, "You're Fang, aren't you." She wasn't questioning him. She already knew who he was.

So much for not being recognized. "Yeah," he answered, looking up at her. Her eyes (which, he noticed for the first time, consisted of three consecutive colors: yellow next to the pupil, green in the middle of the iris, and blue along the rims that combined to create a dazzling color-changing effect in the sunlight) danced in the light as she stared at him. He found her gaze unnerving, like she was staring into his very soul.

"I don't mean to bother you or anything." Her voice was quiet, like she was afraid of being heard. "But, just so you now, I don't think you're a freak like the rest of the world does." She held out her hand. "I'm Cleo."

He tentatively shook her hand. "Thanks." He knew the world thought he was a freak. Within the last year regular humans had become increasingly prejudiced towards enhanced people. There had been several occasions where he'd had to keep his head down in order not to be recognized as a "freak of science."

"What are you working on there?" Cleo asked, nodding toward the stack of books, the papers, and his notepad.

"It's nothing," he told her curtly. His expression hardened, telling her to back off.

Normally when Fang made that face, people felt threatened and backed off without argument. Cleo, however, glared right back at him. "If it's nothing then why have you been muttering to yourself for the last half-hour?" Damn. "I'm not stupid, Fang. I may have only taken a one-semester class for sociology _and_ psychology at my high school, but I've dealt with enough people to read your body language. I wasn't a platoon commander my sophomore year for nothing."

Whatever that meant. This girl was obviously as stubborn as a mule. For the first time in a year, Fang felt a ghost of a smile cross his face. "All right," he quietly told her. "You win. I'm trying to figure out what these runes mean." He handed her the files.

She dog-eared her page and stuffed the book into her backpack, where he noticed a yellow notebook with Sharpie doodles on the cover. Then she took the pages from him and studied them for a few minutes. Her expression grew tense and her eyebrows drew together in concentration. Her eyes became steely and scanned back and forth as she studied the runes.

Suddenly she laughed, tossing her head back and clutching her side. She laughed for about a minute straight with such careless abandon that Fang was startled. After all, he did grow up in a world where smiling and laughter came rarely, especially these days.

After she stopped laughing she took a moment to compose herself. "Sorry," she said. "It's just… Wow! I haven't seen anything like this for _ages_!" Fang's eyes widened. She, of all people, knew about the runes when a college professor had no clue what they were!

"You mean you've seen these runes before?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Was this girl working for the DG? He started cataloguing escape routes, possible emergency exits (read: windows), and positions of the few people in the library.

She nodded. "Yeah! Totally! Oh wow! I haven't even given these any thought since last year!" There was a huge grin on her face with showcased her perfectly straight, blindingly white teeth. "Yeah, these 'runes' as you call them are actually part of a far-older language than you realize." She studied him carefully, her smile fading. "Let me explain.

"Last year some archeologists from Yale went digging in Egypt. They spent months not finding anything except for old pottery and some writing tools—which, mind you, are highly important to archeologists. Towards the end of the season they found several stone tablets—ancient, older than most tombs when they carbon-dated it. Those tablets have the same runes that you're looking into right now. They can't identify the language or what civilization it's from, which is why it's such a big mystery."

"So no one knows what they mean?" Fang asked, his hopes of her being able to decipher the code crushed under a pile of bricks. Another dead end.

Cleo thought for a moment. "No one alive can identify those markings," she told him sadly. "The only way you'd be able to find out what they mean is if someone found a different tablet, stone, or entire wall with those markings and another identifiable language. But no one's found anything yet." Her face softened, seeing the look on his face. "I'm sorry, Fang. I wish I could help you more."

"It's all right," he muttered, shutting the volume he'd been looking into. "Thanks for your help. I appreciate it. You're the first person who's bothered to help me with this in a while."

She smiled. "It's no problem. And if you're ever in the San Diego area, just drop by my place. My boyfriend, Tony, and I will be glad to help you and the flock in any way we can." She paused, pursing her lips. "And if I hear anything about the Doomsday Group while I'm at Stanford I'll contact you through the blog. Tony will help if he hears anything while he's at basic for the Navy."

The first good news he'd heard in a long, long time. "Thank you, Cleo," he said, stuffing the papers into his back pocket. "That means a lot."

She smiled at him one last time then stood and walked to the front of the library, where a man with dark brown hair and hazel eyes was waiting for her. She smiled at the man and kissed his cheek. Then he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they walked out of the library.

Fang sighed and started walking to the edge of town. It wasn't like he had anything to look forward to when he got back to the flock's house. It was only grief and misery, especially now that Max's memory was stirred up again.

As he flew, he wished (not for the first time) that he was normal.

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><p><strong>I want to give a big thank-you to Guest, the <em>only person<em> who reviewed the last chapter. c: Thank you so much for the support. It means a lot to me, especially right now. I'll try to update whenever I can, but with high school and ROTC functions it might be difficult. I can't tell you how much I'm grateful for your review.**

**I've been having a really tough time lately with school and things at home, so I want to take a moment to thank all of you guys who have ever reviewed or even glanced at my stories. You're the reasons that I make an effort to keep writing and why I feel even the slightest bit of confidence. I don't know where I'd be without you. c: **

**Also, a thank you is deserved to one of my best friends, Stewart. He's been helping me stay sane for a long time now (almost a year). He's one of my best friends and I'm grateful for his support of my writing. c:**

**Happy (late) Thanksgiving!**

**~A$h**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I think we all know that I'm not James Patterson.**

**Claimer: Mine, goddammit.**

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><p><span>Chapter 27<span>

_Fang was standing in the middle of a snow-covered land. In the bitter cold landscape there was only dead trees and pure white snow against a starless, bleak night sky. But he felt no cold despite the frost that made his breath appear as puffs of smoke._

_ He observed his surroundings for a moment. Then he heard the strangest thing: chanting. Several voices were chanting in unison in a language he did not know. There was no one in sight though. It sent shivers up his spine. The language was so beautiful, so hauntingly sad, that he felt several emotions at once. What they were he couldn't identify._

_ Fang followed the sound of the chanting. It grew closer with every step, the voices growing louder and more intense. The words gave him chills and for some reason he could understand them. "By fire and ice/ the world will come to ruin. / The One who is the Light will suffer/ and by her hand the Age of Gods shall fall. / The children of the Unnamed will rebuild/ to create new Paradise."_

_ As he drew closer to the chanting it suddenly stopped. He stopped walking. _

_ A beautiful young woman, dressed in loose, white linen robes, lay on the snow. Her golden hair flared around her head like a halo made of sunlight. Around her head was a golden circlet engraved with the same words he'd heard in the chant. Her left eye was encircled by a swirling black tattoo. For some reason she seemed familiar._

_ Her eyes, which were the color of warm chocolate, flared open._

Isme nav rel'seq lemq_, her voice whispered in his mind in the same language as the chant._ You didn't protect me.

_In the blink of an eye she disappeared into a multi-colored vapor, only to reappear at his side._ Isme nav rel'seq lemq. _Tears were in her eyes now._

_Then she was sitting in the branches of a tree, her eyes on him._ Leminä elqua ilu almë venemân,_ the girl in his mind. _I trust you with my life.

_Fang stared at her._ Leminä un'melqül, _he replied._ I understand.

_She was standing in front of him again. A single tear streaked down her elegant face._

Fang sat up, a quiet, strangled cry escaping his throat. It was a _dream_. His first dream in a _year_. The girl… Where had he seen the girl before?

Then it hit him: the girl was Max. She'd been wearing that exact same dress when he'd seen her one month earlier when she told him about the rune, Eshmân. He closed his eyes and recalled her face in the dream: in pain, like it physically _hurt her_ to see him. He recalled the swirling black mark over her left eye and wondered what that meant. It hadn't been there when he'd seen the vision the previous month.

Rain pattered against the window, making clear streaks as it dripped down the glass and hissed as it fell through the trees. It had been a clear night when he'd fallen asleep…

"Fang?" a small voice asked from the doorway. "Are you okay?" It was Star. She'd doted on Fang since Max's death. She'd been more sympathetic and somehow… warmer towards the flock. Fang didn't understand what had brought about this change, but they were all better because of it.

He nodded and ran a hand through his hair. He was wild-eyed and jumpy. Of course he wasn't okay. He'd just had a dream about his dead girlfriend. "Yeah, Star," he replied softly. "I'm fine."

He heard her hesitate for a moment. Then she walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her. She didn't believe him. He knew that he hadn't been convincing enough. Not that it mattered.

Fang wondered why he'd been speaking in another language in his dream. He didn't know any other language—okay, he knew a little bit of French and Spanish, but that was the extent of his linguistic expertise. But this was… different. He'd been speaking entirely in a language he had no name to like he was fluent in it.

He recalled the words, how they sounded on his tongue. The language was tantalizingly familiar, like he knew it but couldn't remember how or why. Images danced behind his closed eyes.

_A scream as a man fell the deck of a boat, dead. A gladiator facing his death as he locked eyes with a woman in the crowd, a look of horrified anguish on her face. A prisoner walking up the steps of a stone pyramid to face execution while a woman, her face veiled, sobbed._

His eyes snapped open. He didn't need to see things like that right now, not when he had a dream to deal with.

Fang slid out of his bed and walked over to his desk. He picked up the papers which the runes were on and stared at them. Still nothing. There was no spark of genius. There was no sudden epiphany where he realized what the runes were. Nothing but the runes and a small, spiky _E_ wherever the rune Eshmân appeared.

He sighed and put the papers down before running a hand through his hair. _This just doesn't get any easier,_ he thought sadly. _Maybe I _should_ let Iggy sign me in to that mental hospital._

_Please don't, Fang,_ a voice whispered in his mind. _You'd never be happy there. They wouldn't be able to help you. Only I can._

_Great,_ he thought sourly. _Now I'm hearing voices._

_Only one voice,_ it chimed. It sounded vaguely female and… familiar somehow. _But not to worry. I can help you. We can help each other. It was what we were meant to do. Once you help me your transgressions will be considered null and void. It will be like it never happened._

_What do you mean?_ Fang asked. _What 'transgressions?' Are you talking about what happened with Selene?_

_No,_ the Voice replied. (He figured he may as well call it that.) _I am not referring to Selene. I am talking about a much deeper crime than that. One more ancient than you could ever imagine. Prepare yourself._

Fang didn't even have time to brace himself for the pain that came next. It was like someone set his body on fire. He wanted to cry out but it was like his voice wasn't working. He fell to the floor. He wanted to writhe in pain but his body wasn't working. His mind couldn't function. No thoughts processed. Nothing made sense. His eyes rolled back into his head and he remembered no more.

Fang woke slowly. His body felt numb, like he'd been given a shot of Novocain. But at the same time there was a dull, throbbing pain in his right arm, almost like he'd broken a bone there or somebody had branded him with a white-hot poker.

He sat up slowly and rubbed his forehead. The memories came rolling back in waves: the dream, the Voice, and then the pain.

He looked down at his right arm and had to keep himself from letting out a startled cry. In clear black were three markings. The first looked like a sideways _T_ with two crooked strokes pointing toward the end of the rune. The second looked like an incomplete_ C_ with two lines cutting through it. The third was a zigzag with lines on each point.

"What the hell?" Fang wondered out loud, staring at the markings. He waited for one of the flock to pop up and yell out, "Surprise!" But no one did.

_This isn't a prank, Fang,_ the Voice scolded. _This is very serious. These Marks mean that you've been recognized. It means that things will start happening which were set in motion a very, very long time ago._

_What do you mean?_ Fang asked. _What sort of things? And what do these runes mean?!_

_All in good time,_ it answered coolly. _More visions will come. You will figure it out when the time is right._

It never spoke to Fang again as a living man.

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><p><strong>I'm listing to "For the Win" by Two Steps from Hell right now. Updating has never felt so epic. XD<strong>

**I want to take a moment to thank every single person who has read/reviewed/favorite this year. You have no idea just how much that means to me and how great I feel when I get a new review. You've all inspired me in one way or another and I wouldn't be where I am today without you. It's incredible to have such an amazing group of people who read and like my stories. Thank you a million times.**

**Happy New Year everybody! :) I wish you the best in the year to come and happiness in all that you do.**

**~A$h**


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